The FBI are currently investigating the stabbing rampage that took place in Minnesota’s Crossroads Center Mall on this past Saturday, injuring nine people. The FBI said they are treating the attack as “a potential act of terrorism,” though a report by a news agency linked to the Islamic State claimed that the act was performed by a “soldier of the Islamic State”.
The attack occurred at around 8 p.m. inside the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It ended when off-duty police officer Jason Falconer shot and killed the assailant inside a Macy’s store.
The attacker, dressed in a security guard uniform, wielding a knife, repeatedly mentioned Allah and asked at least one victim if he was Muslim, according to police. All nine victims are expected to survive, and five have already been released from the hospital.
St. Cloud Mayor David Klies lauded Falconer for having “clearly prevented additional injuries and potential loss of life,” during a news conference Sunday afternoon, saying, “His heroic actions are exemplary.”
The suspect has since been identified by community leaders as Dahir Aden, a student at St. Cloud State University, and a private security guard at Electrolux, a home appliance store located near the mall.
Abdul Kulane, of the Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization, said he was contacted by Aden’s parents, who said they did not know what their son’s motive was for the attack.
Aden moved with his family to the United States from Kenya at the age of 2, Kulane said. He grew up in St. Cloud and graduated from Apollo High School. Described by his parents as smart, quiet, and interested in soccer, Aden has not taken any recent trips overseas, according to Kulane. His family and his community are in shock.
At the scene, Chief William Blair Anderson of the St. Cloud police told reporters, “It has hit home for us…But I want everybody in St. Cloud to know that we will be diligent and we will get to the bottom of this.”
