8 people injured during stabbing attack at Minnesota mall

[oberliner]

Source: AP

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A knife wielding suspect who was dressed in a private security uniform and made references to Allah while attacking at least eight people during a mass stabbing attack at a Minnesota shopping mall was shot dead by an off-duty police officer, authorities said.

St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson said during a news conference that eight people were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following the attack first reported about 8:15 p.m. Saturday at the Crossroads Center. One person was admitted. No further details were released.

Anderson said an off-duty police officer from another jurisdiction shot and killed the unidentified suspect, who was armed with a knife and wearing a private security firm uniform at the time of the attack. Anderson did not say where the off-duty officer serves.

Anderson also said the suspect made at least one reference to Allah during the attack and asked at least one person whether they were Muslim.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/8-people-injured-during-stabbing-attack-minnesota-mall-074620661.html

[6chars]

1. sounds like workplace violence

the guy in the security uniform is probably a disgruntled employee

[EL34x4]

3. Clearly, it is mental illness.

Some madman running around stabbing people, screaming gibberish nobody can understand. "Allahu Akbar!" What does that even mean? It's crazy talk!

[SnowCritter]

2. My stepdaughter manages a store at Crossroads Center

She wasn't working at the time. While she wasn't there, she had high praise for her staff for locking-down the store immediately and making sure all the customers in the store were as safe as they could make them.

Now on to the bigger issue -

I haven't had a chance to look at the local newspaper yet, nor have I taken a look at their Web site, so I'm going with my "gut" here - forgive me if I ramble. St. Cloud is sometimes referred to as "White Cloud" due to the attitudes of many people living in and around the city. We have a growing Muslim population and that is of "great concern" to many of the "Christians" here.

So what we have is a lone, dark-skinned attacker that is reported to be a Muslim. One. Single. Man. I'd be willing to bet that the "comments" section of the story on the local newspaper's Web site will light up with comments that will try to place the blame on everyone who is Muslim. I'm pretty sure I'll see something similar if I check story at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune Web site. I *did* read one comment on Facebook bemoaning the fact that the author could remember when St. Cloud was "crime-free" (which was responded to by someone who asked "When, in 1972?&quot .

I'm a Lutheran. I'll be going to church later. I'm sure that prayers will be offered for the family of the person killed and for the speedy recovery of the injured. I'm fairly certain that prayers will be offered thanking God for the actions of the persons who brought the situation to an end and for the EMTs who cared for the injured. But I wonder if prayers will be offered for the Muslim community - they're going to be experiencing a lot of hate because of this single person's actions.

[NickB79]

5. Grad of SCSU here, 2003. I too hear it referred to as White Cloud

When my wife and I met there in 2004, we got a LOT of dirty looks walking around holding hands because we're a mixed-race couple.

Which is why I wasn't surprised at all to read this earlier this year: http://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/2016/02/22/state-revokes-anti-muslim-license-plate/80756636/

[patsimp]

4. Coincidently, this was the same thing the ISIS related attackers in Africa asked

of the 30+ people they massacred, as well as asked by attackers in Belgium and france.

Mental illness is a funny thing - until isis came around, I don't remembers cases where mental patients killed in the name of Islam. Like the Russian nanny who stabbed the child she was taking care of to death and said much the same thing. Or the recent 3 people arrested in france for plotting a terrorist attack - one of whom was engaged to the 'mental patient' who stabbed an elderly priest to death in France last month.

[JonathanRackham]

6. I fear it may be a copycat scenario.

With nothing to do with religion.

[Igel]

12. I know that if I were going to go on a rampage

because I didn't like certain people, I'd adopt a completely alien persona and say things I didn't believe. In order to make a point and let people know the real reason I'm upset.

[Blackjackdavey]

33. God

Mentally ill people do mentally ill things in the name of God every single day. Hyper-religiosity is in fact a very common motivation for mentally ill things. The odds are pretty good that Muslim people will have mental illnesses too. In fact, given how many of them now live in or come from war torn, acutely stressed environments the odds may be getting better for Muslim people to have mental illnesses.

[wordpix]

35. ISIS, like the Nazis, attracts the mentally ill, drug-alcohol addicted & criminal types

FACT: Hitler built his SS on boys and young men who had lost fathers in WWI and were poor, unstable, criminal, homeless, etc. They were perfect for Hitler's aims and they found a band-of-brothers "home" in the SS.

[patsimp]

41. really - i thought it was devout practitioners who became radicalized

[pintobean]

7. I'm glad there was a good guy with a gun there.

[6chars]

8. an out of district cop

more the right kind of good guy with a gun, not the same as a george zimmerman type.

[pintobean]

9. Funny, I never saw Zimmerman as a good guy

but, cop or not, the bad guy was stopped.

It's nice to see a fellow DUer who recognizes a cop as a good guy.

[6chars]

10. no, zimmerman is a bad guy with a gun who thinks he's a good guy

i think most cops are good, some are not. i have interacted with both types.

[elehhhhna]

29. I thought he was a cowardly fuck w a gun who used cop cosplay as am excuse to

Cowboy his sorry ass around the 'hood ...

[6chars]

31. He is many things

All disgusting

[NickB79]

36. Actually, a semi-retired cop who runs a CCW training business and gun range in town

Former police chief in Albany (population 2,000) who now works part-time as a cop in Avon (population 1,000).

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/19/health/jason-falconer-minnesota-mall-stabbing-trnd/

Also big into competitive tactical pistol shooting.

[MowCowWhoHow III]

11. 'IS soldier' behind Minnesota mall stabbings: Amaq

'IS soldier' behind Minnesota mall stabbings: Amaq

Beirut (AFP) - An Islamic State group "soldier" carried out the wave of stabbings at a mall in the US state of Minnesota that wounded eight people, a jihadist-linked news agency said Sunday.

"The executor of the stabbing attacks in Minnesota yesterday (Saturday) was a soldier of the Islamic State who carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition," Amaq news agency said.

IS has repeatedly called for lone-wolf attacks on countries in the US-led coalition targeting the jihadist group with air strikes in Syria and Iraq, with France and Belgium bearing the brunt of such actions.

US police said an off-duty officer shot dead a suspect who had stabbed and wounded eight people in a shopping mall in Minnesota on Saturday night. He "made some references to Allah", said Blair Anderson, police chief in the city of St. Cloud, and "asked at least one person if they were Muslim before he assaulted them."

https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/32653655/is-soldier-carried-out-minnesota-mall-stabbings/#page1

[oberliner]

13. Disturbing

How does law enforcement even begin to attempt to prevent something like this from happening?

[dflprincess]

21. I'm inclined to think the group claiming this is just taking advantage of the situation

I'd bet that had this not happened on the same night as the bombing in NYC it would never have gone national.

And we know no one outside of Minnesota would have heard about it if the attacker had been making references to Jesus and asking people if they were Christian before attacking them.

[philosslayer]

26. Let's get this straight

You're saying that if a person stabbed 8 strangers at a mall while ranting about Jesus that it wouldn't have made the news? Hooookay

[GummyBearz]

34. I almost gagged

I read the response first and then I almost gagged when I saw who posted it. That is 1 time out of ~2,000, but it was a good one

[dflprincess]

38. How is it I've offended you

so much that my post makes you want to gag?

[GummyBearz]

39. I wasn't replying to you

You have not offended ever as far as I know.

[dflprincess]

40. I'm glad to hear that

I thought you were referring to my post in your response. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[dflprincess]

37. I'm saying it would not have been called terrorism

and the attacker's mental health would be called into question instead. And while it would have been big news in Minnesota, a Christian nut case, without the terrorist label, wouldn't have been national news.

[philosslayer]

42. It would have been called mental illness

Just like this particular incident was. Mental illness

[AngryAmish]

15. I suspect his motivation will always remain unfathomable.

[philosslayer]

27. It's likely mental illness

[spiderpig]

16. Has Drumpf weighed in with his penetrating insight about this?

He sure was happy to jump the gun about NYC.

Guess Minnesota isn't glam enough for his magnificent persona.

[SnowCritter]

18. We'll be forever grateful that Minnesota

isn't "glam" enough for Donald.

[dflprincess]

22. Yes we will! nt

[spiderpig]

24. There's a reason behind the term Minnesota Nice

One of my most steadfast friends - and I tease her about it all the time.

[harrose]

17. Another Trump supporter hard at work...

eom

[sarisataka]

19. Not your average Trump supporter...

While law enforcement has yet to reveal the name of the suspect, his father identified him as Dahir A. Adan, 22. Interviewed Sunday through a translator, Ahmed Adan said his son was born in Africa and had lived in the United States for 15 years.

http://m.startribune.com/st-cloud-mall-closed-until-monday-is-crime-scene-after-stabbings/393872071/
:small
It is plausible that he could have a terrorist connection; Minneapolis had a big trial earlier this year about terrorist recruitment in the Somali community. Nine men were convicted.

It would not be wise to either assume or deny any connection to a terrorist group without investigation.

[sarisataka]

23. Obviously

I don't know how I didn't see that immediately...

[FrodosPet]

25. Yes, Trump is a malignant rectal cancer

But this kind of speculation without a shred of evidence makes you look as bad as he was with the speculation on the NYC bombing.

Please consider self-delete.

[harrose]

32. I'll tell you what...

... when it's proven that Trump (or his team) had nothing to do with this, I'll consider a self-delete. Until then, I think it's very probable that they're behind this to boost his poll numbers.

[philosslayer]

28. Interesting theory...

Hadn't considered it.

[Lokilooney]

30. No

Although I understand the "Trump supporter" snark insomuch as a persons actions having an effect on the the opinion of the party currently in charge, shining light on the individuals political affiliations is a bad move, you might not like the outcome...