Officers were sent to Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on a report of a stabbing Saturday night, according to St. Cloud police.
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During the news conference, Anderson said the attacker who was armed with a knife reportedly made references to Allah during the attack and asked at least one person whether they were Muslim.
Just before 11 p.m., St. Cloud Hospital Communications Specialist Chris Nelson told the St. Cloud Times that eight patients were taken to the hospital; seven were treated and released, one was admitted. He said police needed to investigate and do their due diligence.
It was unclear how many people were stabbed or what the extent of their injuries was.
“When I got in my auto to get out people were speeding out of there”, she said. “What we know it is is a lone suspect who attacked eight people”.
But Anderson declined to call the attacks an act of terrorism, saying the motive for the attacks isn’t known yet. Burke said an undetermined number of people still remained inside the mall late Saturday, and that the investigation is ongoing. He said the stabbings occurred in multiple locations, different businesses and common areas.
“Whether it is a terrorist attack or not… we just don’t know”, the police chief said in a midnight news conference.
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Let us hope these are the last of the incidents of mass violence on a Saturday that has suddenly turned grim.
