He said the stabbings occurred in several places within the mall, including corridors, businesses and common areas. They have since been released, Sgt. Jason Burke, spokesman for the police department, said, though the mall will remain closed Sunday as the investigation continues.
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The man, whom local media reports said was of Somali descent, stabbed nine people at the Minnesota mall before being shot dead by an off-duty police officer.
Fargo, N.D. (WDAY/WDAZ-TV)- The St. Cloud mall attack suspect previously lived in Fargo.
“I’ve been trying to stay away from it all, for the time being”, said Falconer, a medal-winning marksman who operates a firearms training business in neighboring Waite Park.
No one answered the door late Sunday at a home address listed for Falconer, and a voicemail box for a telephone listing was full and not accepting new messages. In recent years, the Muslim community there has faced conflicts with other Minnesota residents, including incidents that have led to damage to existing mosques and opposition toward at least one new house of worship, according to the StarTribune. He was a junior at St. Cloud State University, Kulane said. They said the suspect does not represent the larger Somali community, and they expressed fear about backlash over the attack.
Carranza said police were checking identification and taking names of everyone as they were released from the mall. He says his training is also beneficial for “responsible citizens” who might find themselves in life-threatening peril.
The father of the man who stabbed nine people at a central Minnesota mall has identified him as a 22-year-old college student. Ahmed Adan said his son was born in Kenya but was Somali and had lived in the US for 15 years.
He says police didn’t mention the attack on the mall, but they seized photos and other materials from the family’s apartment. While he confirmed the attacker as Somali, the Minneapolis StarTribune quoted him as saying, authorities have not confirmed the attacker’s ethnicity.
“He clearly prevented additional injuries and potential loss of life”, Kleis said during a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Officials said there’s no indication at this time that the suspect had direct communications with ISIL, or that the terrorist group had planned the attack or knew of it beforehand. He told the Star Tribune he had “no suspicion” that his son might have been involved in terrorist activity.
“We are now investigating this as a potential act of terrorism”, said the FBI’s Richard Thornton, speaking at a news conference at the St Cloud Police Department headquarters.
St. Cloud’s mayor and police chief praised the swift actions of an off-duty, part-time Avon police officer for shooting and killing the attacker. The others were treated and released.
Sydney Weires was shopping at the mall with her friends, Jenna Remmele and Maggie Gelke, all three freshmen at the College of St. Benedict. “One guy was bleeding from the side of his face”, Weires said.
Makarral says she saw people walking around inside with blood on them. “But when we heard the screaming, then we knew it was time to go”.
“Weires said she and her friends followed the guard because they thought maybe there was a shoplifter or a kidnapping”. All nine victims are expected to survive.
A young Somali man dressed as a private security guard entered the Crossroads Center mall over the weekend wielding what appeared to be a kitchen knife.
Bellow said his brother, whose shift was about a half-hour from ending when the violence broke out, sent him a text that said there was a shooter in the mall.
Three people were admitted, according to Chris Nelson, spokeswoman for St. Cloud Hospital.
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An Islamic State-run news agency said that the stabbing attack in a shopping mall in the US state of Minnesota Saturday was carried out by a “soldier of the Islamic State”.
