Bodycam footage shows take down Syrian asylum seeker on his way to commit ‘mass casualty attack’ in Fargo

Mohamad Barakat was on his way to commit an attack on July 14 when he chanced on an opportunity to start early 

He opened fire on cops who were responding to an unrelated auto crash 

Gunman ambushed unsuspecting officers, killing one and injuring two others before being neutralized by a fourth officer

His car was loaded with guns, a grenade, 1,800 rounds of ammo, three containers full of gasoline, two propane tanks including one half-filled with “explosive materials

ND officials said attack would have been so deadly that there wouldn’t have been enough medical and emergency personnel in three states to respond

Barakat, 37, moved to the US in 2012 as an asylum seeker

Authorities say Barakat was not a religious fanatic, but was motivated purely by hate and fascinated by mass shootings 

Gunman was on his way to carry out an attack in Fargo, ND, at a parade or during the town’s summertime festivities in July 14, when he let loose. Mohamad Barakat, who moved to the US in 2012 as an asylum seeker, killed one officer and injured two more before he was stopped  

Bodycam footage from North Dakota has emerged of a Fargo police officer taking down a Syrian would-be mass murderer armed with an AK-47, 1,800 rounds of ammunition, a grenade and  enough explosives to obliterate a crowd in what would have been a catastrophic domestic terrorist attack last month had it not been thwarted. 
Would-be mass shooter, Mohamad Barakat, 37, was on his way to carry out an attack in Fargo at a parade on July 14, when he opened fire on police officers responding to a car crash. 
North Dakota authorities say they have not found any evidence that Barakat who moved to the US in 2012 as an asylum seeker, was a religious fanatic. Instead, it is believed that he was motivated purely by hate and fascinated by mass shootings. 

Bodycam shows man ambush police responding to a traffic stop in Fargo on July 14, which ended with neutralizing would be mass shooter Mohamad Barakat

The day before the shooting, the aspiring mass shooter Googled: ‘area events where there are crowds’ which led him to an article about the Downtown Fargo Street Fair. 
He’d also Googled ‘explosive ammo’, ‘incendiary rounds’ and ‘mass shooting events’.  
During his rampage Barakat killed 23-year-old rookie cop Jake Wallin, an Afghanistan and Iraq veteran who’d only been on the job for three months, and critically injured two others before he was neutralized by 32-year-old Officer Zach Robinson. 
The full details of the terrifying incident emerged Thursday at a press conference where North Dakota officials also released Officer Robinson’s bodycam footage.

ND Attorney General Drew Wrigley [right], discussed body camera video from Officer Zach Robinson. The 32-year-old cop neutralized Mohamad Barakat during the July 14 shooting

Robinson, coming under fire himself, shot Barakat 31 times in total.
The gunman somehow survived the majority of the shots and continued to reach for his weapon before eventually being taken out. 
The planned attack, had he been able to carry it out, would have been so deadly that North Dakota officials say there wouldn’t have been enough medical and emergency personnel in three states to respond to it adequately. 

Gunman Mohamad Barakat is seen lying on the ground next to his car after killing one cop and injuring two others on July 14. The gunman who moved to the US in 2012 as an asylum seeker, was on his way to carry out an attack in Fargo at a parade or during the town’s summertime festivities in July 

Barakat, lying next to his car, is shot dead by Fargo Police Officer Zach Robinson

Barakat was shot multiple times but continued to attempt to fight police before being taken out. Police later recovered an astonishing arsenal from the gunman’s vehicle

In addition to the weapons in his car, Barakat also three cannisters of gasoline and two propane tanks filled with Tannerite – a highly explosive material. 
The shooting began after a auto crash on a road near where he had parked his car attracted police. 
He then ambushed responding officers with gunshots, injuring two of the cops who responded and killing one, before being shot dead himself. 

The chaotic scene in Fargo after the shooting on July 14 . One officer was killed, two more injured before the gunman was neutralized by a fourth police officer

Police displayed Barakat’s frightening arsenal. He had 1,800 live rounds, an AK-47, tactical gear, explosives and a grenade

Barakat also had three cannisters of gasoline and two propane tanks filled with Tannerite – a highly explosive material. The attack would have been so deadly that there wouldn’t have been enough medical and emergency personnel in three states to respond effectively, ND officials say

The gunman’s vehicle was parked nearby when two other vehicles crashed on the road, drawing police attention. He used that moment to launch ambush the unsuspecting officers 

After driving by the fender bender, Barakat pulled into an adjacent parking lot to watch from his parked car.
Barakat’s car was loaded with guns, a homemade grenade, more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, three “largish” containers full of gasoline, plus two propane tanks, one completely filled and the other half-filled not with propane, but with “explosive materials concocted at home, purchased lawfully,” police said.
With police and firefighters busy helping, Barakat watched for several minutes until the officers walked by him, when he lifted a .223-caliber rifle out of his car window and began firing, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said.
Before the incident, the suspect had no criminal record but police had visited his home to inquire about his weapons twice. They found them to have all been legally acquired. 

Killed: Officer Jake Wallin, [photo], 23, was shot dead by the gunman Mohammed Barakat while responding to the traffic crash. The Iraq and Afghanistan veteran had been on the force only three months

Barakat’s ambush of police and mission to kill parade goers ended when Fargo police Officer Zachary Robinson, [photo], killed the would-be mass shooter

Survivors: Officers Andrew Dotas, [left], and Tyler Hawes, [right], both critically injured, have now been released after hospitalization

Barakat was a Syrian national who came to the U.S. on an asylum request in 2012 and became a U.S. citizen in 2019.
Dotas and Hawes recovered enough to leave the hospital earlier this month. Koswick left the hospital about a month ago.
Neither Dotas nor Hawes saw the attack coming, Wrigley said. 
Dotas was hit with multiple rounds, and struggled to his feet at one point but went back down, Wrigley said.

Rookie officer Jake Wallen, seen with newly engaged to fiancée Winter Malone [right], was an Afghanistan and Iraq veteran who had with the Fargo Police Dept. for only three months

Hawes also was hit multiple times, shot through his right arm and unable to stand up to walk, but crawled to Dotas’ side, ‘to be at his side, to be holding his hand, to be calling his name, to be willing him to live,’ Wrigley said.
Video shows the three officers lying motionless on the ground as Robinson nears Barakat´s vehicle.
Wrigley and Zibolski commended Robinson’s composure and training in his actions in the shootout, such as reloading after his gun emptied and changing positions around Barakat’s vehicle.
‘A very chaotic situation, a very tremendous job on his part,’ Zibolski said.

Tyler Hawes, one of the two Fargo police officers to survive Barakat’s rampage is shown [left] leaving the hospital

The wrenching scene with Law enforcement personnel saluting during closing ceremonies at the funeral service for Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin on July 22

Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski speaks during funeral services for Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin at Pequot Lakes High School in Pequot Lakes, Minn., on Saturday, July 22, 2023

Attorney General Wrigley last month said Robinson’s use of deadly force ‘was reasonable, it was necessary, it was justified, and in all ways, it was lawful.’
The Fargo Police Department found no use of force violations in Robinson’s actions in the shooting, Deputy Chief Joe Anderson said. Robinson is back on the job.
Police are conducting a training review of the entire incident, including the officer response in the aftermath, he said.
Investigation remains active and is ‘proceeding to its logical conclusion,’ Wrigley said. 
Investigators are awaiting information from FBI interviews as well as firearms testing to ensure Barakat’s weapons aren’t connected to other illegal activity, the attorney general said.