Minnesota Mall Stabbing: Officials Release Video of Attack, Say Suspect Showed New Interest in Islam

The suspect in the Minnesota mall stabbing may have been radicalized in the last few months, authorities announced at a Thursday morning news conference.

FBI officials and local law enforcement provided a public update on the investigation into the stabbing that left 10 people wounded and the suspect dead at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud.

The suspect in the Sept. 17 attack, Dahir Ahmed Adan, 20, became interested in Islam in the last several months, stopped playing Xbox and told his female relatives to be more religious, FBI Special Agent Rick Thornton said at the news conference.

“We have numerous credible witness accounts of him asking victims during the attack if they were Muslim and at least one instance yelling ‘Allahu akbar’ while stabbing one of his victims and others heard him yelling 'Islam Islam' during the attack,” Thornton added.

“We were told Adan had not previously shown an interest in religion. Adan also encouraged some female relatives to become more religiously observant.”

FBI Director James Comey said last week that it appears Adan was motivated "by some sort of inspiration from radical Islamic groups."

Comey said that investigators are not yet sure which groups may have inspired Adan at this point.

On the day after the attack, the Islamic State-linked AMAQ news agency reported that the terrorist group described the suspect as "a soldier of ISIS."

Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall said Thursday that Adan was armed with two steak knives, one of which was bent during the course of the attacks.

Kendall also said that off-duty police officer Jason Falconer, who shot and killed Adan following the stabbings, was justified in using lethal force and will not be charged with a crime.

'Hero' Police Officer Saved Lives During Minnesota Mall Stabbing

Officials showed several surveillance videos of the attack Thursday. One showed Adan stabbing an employee of a mall store, while another showed a bloody Adan crawling and trying to get up after being shot by Falconer.

Kendall said Adan approached Falconer and asked if he was Muslim. Falconer said he was a cop and told Adan to drop the knives he was holding. Adan then charged Falconer, at which point Falconer shot him. Still armed with one knife, Adan got up and crawled toward Falconer. Falconer shot him again. This sequence happened repeatedly until Adan could no longer get up.

Kendall said Falconer fired 10 rounds, six of which hit Adan.

Adan was wearing a private security uniform at the time of the attack. Kendall said that witnesses heard Falconer state that he is a police officer several times as he held up his police badge.

Police were initially dispatched to a report of a stabbing inside the Crossroads Center mall just after 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.

Authorities said Thursday that FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is continuing to investigate the attack.

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