The Islamic State is claiming credit for a knife attack that left nine wounded in a Minnesota mall, saying in a statement that the perpetrator was responding to its call for “lone wolf” attacks.
“The executor of the stabbing attacks in Minnesota yesterday was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls to target the citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition,” the terrorist group said in a Sunday statement through its Amaq news agency.
A suspect in the attack, a Somali man named Dahir Adan, was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud. Adan, who was a junior at St. Cloud State University and worked part-time as a security officer, was last seen by his family when he told them he was going to purchase an iPhone 7.
“He was helpful to his family and as far as we know, he never had a violent history, as far as his family and the community can remember,” Somali community leader Abdul Kulane said in a statement. “He was a friendly and active community member.”
“The family and the community would like to know the whole picture of this incident,” he added. “Our sympathy goes to the families and victims and the entire community.”
The veracity of Islamic State’s claim to credit is difficult to discern. The organization in March published a “kill list” of Minnesota police officers that it was asking adherents to target.
The FBI has arrested nine men in the state since 2014 for allegedly attempting to join Islamic State overseas. Though the Islamic State’s presence in Somalia is negligible, the group has made an effort to target Somalis living overseas for radicalization.
