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2 gunmen killed at Mohammed contest

Garland, Texas — Two armed men who opened fire on a security officer outside a provocative contest for cartoon depictions of the Prophet Mohammed were killed, authorities in the Dallas suburb of Garland said Sunday night.

The City of Garland said in a statement posted on its Facebook page Sunday night that two men drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center and began shooting at a security officer. The two were shot and killed, it said, adding that the security officer’s injuries were not life-threatening.

The statement did not say whether the shooting was related to the event.

The New York-based American Freedom Defense Initiative had been hosting a contest at the center that would award $10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Such drawings are deemed insulting to many followers of Islam and have sparked violence around the world.

Ben Carson says he will run for president

Washington — Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon turned conservative star, has confirmed that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Carson, 63, who has never run for public office, is expected to be the only highprofile African-american to enter the Republican presidential primary as he tries to parlay his success as an author and speaker into a competitive campaign against established politicians.

“I’m willing to be part of the equation and therefore, I’m announcing my candidacy for president of the United States of America,” he said in an interview aired Sunday night by Ohio’s WKRC television station.

Carson is set to make a more formal announcement during a speech from his native Detroit on Monday.

Violent protest in Israel: Violence erupted on the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday as a demonstration by Ethiopian Israelis protesting what they said was police brutality against their community spiraled out of control. At least 23 police officers and seven protesters were injured. Police said more than 40 people were arrested.

Detainee in North Korea: South Korea confirmed on Sunday that North Korea detained a South Korean student of New York University but said it was still unclear whether the 21-yearold New Jersey resident attempted to enter the North illegally. An official from South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs with North Korea, said his department was trying to gather information on Won Moon Joo’s travels and the circumstances of his arrest. “Our judgment is that Joo is being held in North Korea, but we are still trying to confirm the details of how he got arrested,” he said. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency had said Saturday that Joo was arrested on April 22 after trying to illegally enter North Korea by crossing the Amnok River from the Chinese border town of Dandong.

Casualties in Afghanistan: Afghan security forces are sustaining high casualties in their first battles against the Taliban since the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan ended in December after more than 13 years. The number of killed and wounded so far this year is about 70% higher than during the comparable period last year, said Col. Brian Tribus, director of public affairs for NATO’S Afghanistan mission. A total of 4,950 Afghan army and police personnel were killed or wounded in the first 15 weeks of this year, up from 2,900 during the comparable period of 2014, a coalition military officer said.