Texas attacker was a charismatic 'ladies man' before radicalisation

Nadir Soofi, one of the gunmen who attacked a Texas venue that featured a contest to draw the Prophet Mohammed, was a charismatic "ladies' man" as a teenager, contemporaries from an elite Pakistani school said.

Soofi, 34, and Elton Simpson were shot dead by police on Sunday as they tried to storm the cartoon drawing event.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility, although US officials caution it is too early to draw a firm link.

Soofi was a student at the US$20,000-a-year International School of Islamabad from 1992 to 1998, where contemporaries said he was funny, popular and charming and showed no inclination towards extremism.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one said Soofi was "quite suave and charismatic" and a "ladies' man" then.

"Whatever fundo [fundamentalist] indoctrination occurred, [it] happened after he graduated and moved to USA - here he was simply a cool kid with a bright future," the contemporary said.

Soofi's mother taught art at the school, several of his contemporaries recalled.