People stand near the entrance on the north side of Crossroads Center mall between Macy’s and Target as officials investigate a reported multiple stabbing incident, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016, in St. Cloud, Minn. Po.
Advertisement
The location of the stabbings at the Crossroads Center Mall in St Cloud, Minnesota.
He told the newspaper that he did not suspect his son was involved in any terrorist activity, and said authorities informed him Saturday night that his son had died. He said they are viewing the attack as a “possible act of terrorism”. The following day the Amaq agency posted a statement online, the latest in a series of ISIS-related media outlets claiming responsibility for purported attacks carried out by individuals across Europe and beyond this year.
It was not immediately clear if the extremist group had planned the attack or even knew about it beforehand. That was before the Islamic State began urging “lone wolf” attacks in countries that are part of a USA -led coalition against their group. In the past, IS has claimed attacks that are not believed to have been planned by its central leadership. Although the police have not released the suspect’s identity, the father of the attacker has identified him at 22-year-old Dahir A. Adnan.
Mr. Falconer, a competitive shooter and member of the United States Practical Shooters Association, has helped teach classes on law enforcement skills at St. Cloud State University for nine years, according to his bio. Spokesman Adam Hammer said Adan’s intended major was information systems, which is a computer-related field. He said police didn’t mention the attack on the mall, but they seized photos and other materials from the family’s apartment. No further details were released.
According to Anderson, the attacker, dressed in a security uniform and wielding what appeared to be a kitchen knife, began attacking people right after entering the mall, stabbing people in several spots inside the building, including corridors, businesses and common areas.
Kleis said it’s been a trying time for the city and said he has tremendous respect for the off-duty officer who shot and killed the attacker. “Someone has a knife, ‘” Weires said.
At a news conference Sunday afternoon, the mayor and police chief praised Falconer, a part-time officer and former police chief of Albany, Minnesota, for taking action.
Of the nine people stabbed, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said three people were still hospitalized, including one person who remained in life-threatening condition. They have said such attacks don’t represent the larger Somali community and that they fear a backlash against Somalis in the state.
The speed with which IS weighed in may also say something about a competition for recruits between the Middle East-based IS and the east Africa-based militant group al-Shabab, which has recruited Somali-Americans from Minnesota with some success in recent years. More than 20 young men have left the state since 2007 to join al-Shabab in Somalia; the US considers the eastern Africa militant group a terrorist group. In addition, nine Minnesota men face sentencing on terror charges for plotting to join the Islamic State group. All of a sudden these people started running.
Advertisement
St. Cloud, a 67,000-person town about 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis, is home to one of Minnesota’s larger immigrant Muslim communities. A second explosive device was found a few blocks away, authorities say. Hours before that, a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, before a 5K race.
