This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One of two men killed in the thwarted attack outside a prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas attended the University of Utah more than a decade ago.
Nadir Hamid Soofi, 34, was a pre-med student at the U. from summer 1998 to fall 2003, University of Utah spokeswoman Maria O'Mara confirmed Tuesday.
Soofi lived in student housing during some of that time, but University officials could find no records of Soofi's involvement in any student or campus-based organizations, nor is there any indication that Soofi was ever subject to any campus or university disciplinary actions, she said.
Soofi and roommate Elton Simpson were killed Sunday after wounding a security guard at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas. They had traveled from Phoenix for the event dubbed the Muhammad Art Exhibit.
Soofi was charged in about 20 court cases between 1997 to 2005. The cases consist mostly of traffic violations, many of them for speeding. But Soofi also had several drug- and alcohol-related convictions.
In 2003, Soofi was charged in Salt Lake City's justice court with class B misdemeanor counts of distributing a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. The case was dismissed in July 2003. The court docket says the dismissal was in conjunction with a guilty plea to a 2002 federal court case that is not found in U.S. District Court records. Also in July 2003 in justice court, Soofi pleaded guilty to class B misdemeanor simple assault. A misdemeanor count of criminal mischief was dismissed along with disturbing the peace, an infraction.
In March 2002, Soofi pleaded guilty in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court to class B misdemeanor reckless driving. A speeding violation — 65 mph in a 35 mph zone — was dismissed. In June 2002, he pleaded guilty to class B misdemeanor driving on an alcohol-related suspended license. In June 2001, Soofi, then 20 years old, pleaded guilty to class B misdemeanor unlawful purchase of alcohol by a minor.
The traffic violations occurred mostly in Salt Lake County, but Soofi also incurred charges in Utah, Davis and Millard counties.