National Security
ISIS Spills More Blood In Minnesota
- ISIS has taken responsibility for a knife attack at a Minnesota mall on Saturday that left nine wounded.
- The suspect reportedly asked at least one suspect if he was Muslim before attacking him and shouting Allah Akbar.
- None of the nice were seriously injured and all but three have been released from the hospital.
- The attack is believed to have been working alone.
ISIS has taken responsibility for a knife attack at a Minnesota mall on Saturday evening that left nine wounded.
The attack started around 8:00pm CST at the Crossroads Mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The suspect, who was wearing a private security uniform, was reported to have been shouting Allah Akbar as he savagely attacked shoppers. The suspect was fatally shot on the scene by an off-duty police office.
“We have confirmed that he asked at least one person if they were Muslim before he assaulted them,” St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson told reporters, adding that the suspect “made some references to Allah.”
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According to NBC News, an ISIS-affiliated news outlet referred to the attacker as, “a soldier of the Islamic State.”
However, the FBI is still investigating the ties between the suspect and the Islamic State. “We're currently investigating this as a potential act of terrorism, and I do say ‘potential,' FBI agent Richard Thornton added, “We don't know whether the subject was in contact with, had connections with or was inspired by a foreign terrorist organization.”
None of the nine injured were believed to be serious and all but three have been released from the hospital. Among the injured were a 15-year-old girl, a 50-year-old woman and seven men ages 20 to 53.
The identity of the suspect has not been released, but the Minnesota Muslim community did say that they believe he was from Somalia. “The central Minnesota Somali community is in distress, and we are afraid of the consequences of this incident,” Mohamoud Mohamed, executive director of the St. Cloud Area Somali Salvation Organization.
The suspect is believed to be a lone attacker with no evidence that he worked with anyone or that there are any more attacks planned for the area. There are also no signs that this attack was coordinated with the bombings in New York and New Jersey on the same day. However, the authorities are understandably examining this link.