(Bismarck, ND) — More details have been revealed about the internet search history of Mohamad Barakat, the man who shot police officers in downtown Fargo July 14, 2023, killing officer Jake Wallin and injuring officers Tyler Hawes and Andrew Dotas. A civilian, Karlee Koswick, was also injured.
According to documents released Thursday by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, internet history seized from Barakat’s electronic devices included a wide array of topics.
The searches date back as far as July 2018 through the date before the shooting, July 13.
In February of 2018, Barakat searched for a sale on bump stocks. Two months later, he searched about the topics of strikes in Syria and an under barrel grenade launcher. Barakat came to the United States from Syria in 2012.
On June 20, 2018, one day after searching the words ‘deadly mass shooting,’ it was discovered that Barakat searched ‘how many syrian refugees in usa.’
In August 2018, Barakat searched topics about school and college shootings, including, on August 1, the Umpqua Community College and Northern Illinois University shootings, along with the 2012 Aurora shooting.
Just four days before the shooting in Fargo, Barakat searched the Calendar of Events on InForum.com, as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline.
Two days before the incident, Barakat searched for a 100 pound propane cylinder at Fleet Farm and for information about the Heroes Day Parade.
On the night before the shooting, the final search led to a KVRR TV news story, with the headline, “Thousands enjoy first day of Downtown Fargo Street Fair.”
