Did Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock convert to Islam?

While the ISIS has been propagating lone wolf attacks, there seems to be a change in pattern here.

Following a claim made by the Islamic State, the question being asked is whether the shooter Stephen Paddock had converted to Islam. Stephen Paddock the man who mercilessly killed 58 persons at Las Vegas did not have a criminal history.

While the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, the investigators are not ready to buy it as yet.

A statement published by the group's Amaq propaganda agency claimed the attacker was a "soldier of the Islamic State".

"The Las Vegas attacker is a soldier of the Islamic State in response to calls to target coalition countries," it said.

ISIS also claimed the gunman "converted to Islam several months ago." These claims however could not be ascertained as Paddock's lifestyle and religion are not clear as yet.

This could be a release by the ISIS to stay in the limelight. Attacking the United States has always provided terror groups with enough material to rope in more recruits.

Moreover if one looks at the wordings in the claim, it is very similar to the ones made in the past.

While the ISIS has been propagating lone wolf attacks, there seems to be a change in pattern here. Lone wolves of the ISIS usually do not die in the manner that Paddock did.

He killed himself before the police could storm into his room. A lone wolf of the ISIS would prefer to be martyred and normally takes the battle right to the end with the law enforcement agencies.

For now there is absolutely no confirmation whether Paddock had converted to Islam.

There is also nothing concrete to suggest that this attack was ISIS inspired. At best for now, what one could say is that the claim made by the ISIS is only aimed at spreading its psychological warfare.

OneIndia News