A little-known black power group has claimed responsibility for the sniper attack Thursday night that killed five Dallas police officers at a Black Lives Matter demonstration, but authorities said that one of the snipers who was killed claimed to not be part of an organization.
The so-called Black Power Political Organization claimed to be behind the “sniper assassins” and warned that more killings were planned.
This message was posed on the group’s Facebook page shortly after the attack:
“#BlackPower! #Black Knights! Sniper Assassins Take Down Five Police Officers! And More Will be Assassinated In The Coming Days! Do You Like The Work Of Our Assassins? Get Your Own Sniper Rifle And Join Our Thousands of Sniper Assassins Worldwide In The Fight Againt Oppression!”
The group has only about 300 followers and no other presence on other social media.
Facebook has since blocked access to the page.
Police identified the gunman who was killed as Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, Texas. He had no criminal record or known ties to terrorist groups, according to multiple reports.
He was killed by a explosive devise planted by a police robot after a long standoff with police, said authorities.
Mr. Johnson was an Army veteran and Justice Department officials have reached out to the Pentagon to obtain his military records, according to the New York Times.
Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown said that the sniper told police negotiators that he was angry about recent police-involved shootings and the Black Lives Matter movement, although he claimed to be acting alone and not involved with any group.
“The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people, especially white officers,” he said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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