The attack in St. Cloud, Minnesota’s main shopping center that left nine people with stab wounds is being treated as an act of terror by federal authorities, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Police Chief William Blair Anderson said an off-duty officer from another jurisdiction confronted and fatally shot the suspect Saturday night inside Crossroads Center. He said the man, dressed in a private security uniform, reportedly asked at least one victim whether they were Muslim before committing an assault and referred to Allah during the attacks. “We are currently investigating this as a potential act of terrorism,” said the FBI’s Richard Thornton. He did not link the attack to a specific terror group.
Some 12 hours after the stabbings, a news agency said to speak for ISIL went to Twitter to claim credit for the mall violence. “The executor of the stabbing attacks in Minnesota yesterday was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to the citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition,” the posting by the AMAQ news agency read. It was not immediately clear whether ISIL had planned the attack or was giving a nod to a “lone wolf”inspired by the terror group’s global message. The suspect’s father identified him as While law enforcement has yet to reveal the name of the suspect, his father identified him as Dahir Adan, 22. Ahmed Adan said his son was born in Africa and had lived in the U.S. for 15 years.