What is the Nation of Islam?
In the months leading up to his death, Green made many posts on Facebook professing his support of the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities have identified the suspect in the deadly Capitol attack on Friday as 25-year-old Noah Green, who sources say was a fervent supporter of the Nation of Islam.
Green allegedly slammed his sedan into two police officers near the Capitol’s North Barricade, the entrance where congress members and their aides come and go.
Noah Green and Louis Farrakhan. (Facebook/Getty)
U.S. Capitol Police Office William "Billy" Evans was killed and another officer was injured. Green was shot by officers shortly after emerging from the vehicle wielding a knife.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the months leading up to his death, Green made many posts on Facebook professing his support of the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.
A sermon of the Nation of Islam. (Reuters)
So, what is the Nation of Islam?
The Nation of Islam is an African-American political and religious group founded in Detroit in 1930 by Wallace Fard Muhammad.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LOUIS FARRAKHAN: 5 OF THE NATION OF ISLAM LEADER'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL QUOTES
Muhammad mysteriously vanished in 1934 and was succeeded by Elijah Muhammad, who led the Nation for the next 41 years. Among his most notable disciples were Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.
With its message of Black empowerment, the Nation grew to one of the wealthiest African-American organizations in the United States. At its peak, it claimed to have at least 250,000 members.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But the group is better known for its bizarre theology that holds Jews as "satanic" and prohibits race-mixing. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit that frequently targets conservative groups, has labeled the Nation a hate group.
Following Elijah Muhammad’s death in 1975, his son Warith Deen Mohammed became the Nation’s new leader. Mohammed attempted to make the Nation more accessible to outsiders, but those efforts were thwarted by Louis Farrakhan, a protégé of Elijah Muhammad, who restored the group to its original message.
For more than 40 years, Farrakhan has stoked controversy for his incendiary remarks, particularly his attacks on Jews, whom he frequently refers to as "satanic."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Green described himself as a follower of the Nation of Islam and Farrakhan, whom he referred to as "Jesus."
"My faith is one of the only things that has been able to carry me through these times and my faith is centered on the belief of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as Jesus, the Messiah, the final divine reminder in our midst," Green wrote in a Facebook post a few weeks before his death. "I consider him my spiritual father."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other recent posts included videos of Farrakhan's speeches and an image of a certificate thanking him for a $1,085 donation to the Nation of Islam.