A man has been arrested after he beheaded a woman and stabbed another after being fired from his workplace.
Alton Nolen, 30, attacked two women at Vaughan Foods, a food distribution plant in Oklahoma on Sept. 25, before he was eventually shot by the company's COO.
Prior to the grisly attack, Nolen had tried to convert his co-workers into Islam. He was just fired from the plant before he reportedly returned to his car and smashed it into another vehicle before entering the building to carry out the attacks. He attacked the first two people he came across with a knife.
Records show that Nolen has a tattoo of Jesus Christ on his chest and a tattoo of praying hands on his right arm, indicating that he could have previously been a Christian. Another tattoo on his abdomen says "As-Salaamu Ataikum," which is an Arabic greeting by Muslims meaning "Peace be upon you." He had only just recently converted to Islam.
The woman who has been beheaded has been named as Colleen Hufford, 54. Nolen decapitated his victim at Vaughan Food's front office at 4.05 p.m. He then attacked Traci Johnson, 43, and repeatedly stabbed her before he was shot.
Nolen was previously arrested for marijuana possession, assault and battery on a police officer, a traffic violation, driving with a suspended license, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was only just released in March 2013.
Mark Vaughan, the deputy who shot Nolen, has been hailed as a hero. "This was not going to stop if he didn't stop it," said Moore Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said. "It could have gotten a lot worse."
Both Nolen and Johnson are receiving treatment in the hospital.
Following the beheading, authorities are investigating whether Nolen has been radicalized by ISIS, the terrorist group that has recently carried out multiple beheadings and killing thousands in Syria and Iraq. Authorities have also warned of lone-wolf terror attacks, according to Heavy. Last week, the FBI was contacted by local police after reports of Nolen trying to convert co-workers into Islam.
