Topline
Noah Green, who was killed Friday afternoon after allegedly attacking U.S. Capitol Police, was a reserved, quiet college athlete who later developed an intense interest in the Nation of Islam and a penchant for alarming rhetoric.
Key Facts
25-year-old Green was born in a tiny West Virginia town with nine siblings, and he later graduated from high school in Covington, Virginia, a small city tucked in the Allegheny Mountains, according to a profile on his college football team’s website.
He attended Christopher Newport University, the college confirmed in a statement to Forbes, where he played defensive back on the football team before graduating in 2019.
Some high school and college acquaintances described him to USA Today and the Washington Post as athletic, a “stand-up guy,” and “pretty smiley” but fairly reserved.
After college, Green struggled with mental health issues like hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, and he abruptly moved from his Virginia home to Indianapolis and later Botswana, his brother told the Post in an interview Friday.
His behavior became increasingly alarming in the weeks leading up to the Capitol attack, accquaintances told the Post: He turned into a vocal defender of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a controversial activist who has espoused anti-Semitic beliefs, according to now-deleted social media posts reviewed by several media outlets.
Green insisted on social media that he’s suffered home break-ins and poisoning attempts at the hands of the FBI and CIA, calling the government “the #1 enemy of Black people” and crediting Farrakhan for saving him from these attacks, CNN reported.
What We Don’t Know
Green’s motive. Police are still investigating why Green would attack the Capitol, though officials said the incident doesn’t seem connected to terrorism and Green was not known to D.C. or Capitol Police beforehand.
Crucial Quote
“It does not appear to be terrorism-related, but obviously, we’ll continue to investigate to see if there’s some type of nexus along those lines,” D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said in a Friday afternoon press conference.
Key Background
On Friday afternoon, police say Green rammed his car into a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol building, jumped out brandishing a knife, and “lunged” at police officers. An officer shot him after he didn’t respond to verbal commands. One Capitol Police officer was killed in the attack — 18-year veteran William Evans — and another was injured.
Tangent
Friday’s attack was the second violent incident at the Capitol this year, almost three months after a pro-Trump mob broke into the building, leading to multiple deaths.
Further Reading
Family and friends concerned Noah Green was unraveling before Capitol attack (Washington Post)
