Also Saturday, at least eight people were injured at a shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in a stabbing attack.
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‘That individual made some references to Allah and we confirmed that he asked at least one person if they were Muslim before assaulting them, ‘ he added.
The suspect had a history of minor traffic violations, he said, adding that police did not now have reason to believe the attack was connected to any other incident.
Isis claimed responsibility for the attack at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud on Saturday night in a statement released through their propaganda channel Amaq today. The suspect was shot dead by an off-duty police officer.
The suspect has not yet been named.
While he would not blame terrorism, Anderson did make clear that the attack has left a mark on St. Cloud that won’t soon fade.
“It’s an very bad day, honestly, we’ve got eight victims that were assaulted here in our mall”, Anderson told reporters at a midnight news conference.
The stabbings occurred in multiple locations inside the mall, including in the common area and several stores.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that a second device that officers investigated four blocks from the scene appeared to be a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a cellphone. Thousands of people were about to participate in the 5K race in Seaside Park.
Eight people were injured and the suspect died at Crossroads Center on Saturday after an attack reported about 8:15 p.m. But both New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was no indication it was linked to global terrorism.
The St. Cloud mall remained on lockdown following the attack, and authorities eventually released those inside. The mall remained closed Sunday. Photos and video of the mall taken hours after the incident showed groups of shoppers waiting to be released, including some huddled together near a food court entrance.
Harley and Tama Exsted, of Isle, were in St. Cloud to watch their son play in a college golf tournament and were in the mall when the attack happened.
The suspect is believed to be dead, St. Cloud Police Sgt. Jason Burke told the St. Cloud Times. Those who escaped say they only began running for exits when seeing a swarm of people screaming and running out.
The couple were unharmed and said they helped another woman who was running from the scene to her vehicle.
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He said: “She called me on the phone and told me she was hiding under the counter with a customer”. Authorities called the blast intentional but said there was no evidence of an global terror connection. He said he’d seen her through the glass doors at one point so he knew she was safe.
