On the surface, it seemed to be a typical incident of workplace violence. A man, upon being fired from his job, leaves the facility only to return with a vengeance, lashing out at whoever was in his way.

As details emerged, however, the public imagination was captured and horrified, and Oklahomans and Americans are left wondering if this is just a particularly brutal form of workplace violence, or if the act at Vaughan Foods is an act of terrorism connected to radical Islam.

This wasn't just any assault. This wasn't just any stabbing. Instead, police say Alton Alexander Nolen beheaded one woman and was attacking a second before the company COO, a reserve deputy officer, shot him, ending the assault.

When investigating officers questioned Nolen's former co-workers, they learned that the man had recently converted to Islam, and that he was trying to convert his colleagues as well. Some say he was drawn to the radical, militant aspects espoused by the Islamic State (IS), a terrorist regime also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Because of the nature of the attack and Nolen's possible ties to Islam, Moore police notified the FBI, who is now probing Nolen's history and internet footprint, looking for terrorist ties. For now, law enforcement is saying that the beheading at a food processing plant in Moore is a random act of workplace violence that is not linked to IS terrorism.

Nolen was not fatally wounded when he was shot by the reserve officer. He was transported to a local hospital, and the FBI was waiting to question him until the suspect was "coherent." At about 6:00 p.m. Friday evening, it was reported that Nolen was coming out of sedation, and investigators were hoping to speak with him soon.

Still, interviewing a man who beheaded one co-worker and attempted to kill another may not yield clear answers.

While many have jumped to the conclusion that Nolen's acts were the terrorist acts of a radical Muslim, there are several possibilities at play.

  • Was Nolen affiliated with a terrorist organization and acting in accordance with its wishes?
  • Was Nolen a "lone wolf terrorist" answering the ISIS call to attack Western civilians at random?
  • Was Nolen seeking to prove himself as a radical Muslim jihadi?
  • Was Nolen a violent and angry man whose rampage was unconnected to Islamic beliefs, and was simply a brutal act of workplace violence?
  • Was Nolen seeking revenge on his employer for the firing, using the most heinous and "newsworthy" method of execution he could think of?

There is a lot we don't know, and given the speed with which the media reports hearsay and gossip, some of the "facts" we hear about the case may soon be disproven. We do know that Nolen has a criminal history in Oklahoma, with convictions for marijuana and cocaine, possession, escape from detention, and assault and battery on a police officer. He was in prison from March 2011 until March 2013, and he was currently serving the probation of he suspended sentence.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph, who was injured by Nolen when he attempted to avoid arrest in 2011, told KFOR's Linda Cavanaugh in an interview Friday that one thing that stood out to her about Nolen when she tried to arrest him was how quickly he became enraged and turned violent. One minute, she says, he was talking to her and being compliant. The next minute, he was shoving her and running away.

Could Nolen's grisly rampage Thursday in Moore be the result of impulsive violent rage? Or has terrorism once again hit Oklahoma? Is this an isolated incident? Or is it a harbinger of random jihad violence to come?