Somalian Refugee Behind Minnesota Mall Attack Described As ‘Soldier of Islamic State’

A suspected jihadi, who slashed shoppers during an Islamic State-inspired knife assault at a US mall, was unmasked by his father.

Twenty-two-year-old Dahir Adan was identified as the attacker, who died during the stabbing spree at the Crossroads Mall in St Cloud, Minnesota. Adan, a Kenya-born Somali immigrant, was shot and killed by police officer Jason Falconer during the attack.

Amaq, the IS news agency, described him as a “soldier of the IS”.

“The executor of the stabbing attack in Minnesota was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to the citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition,” Amaq claimed.

CNN reported: “two Somali community leaders who are in contact with the family” that Adan was acting “strangely” before the attack.

According to St Cloud police chief William Blair Anderson, Adan “reportedly made references to Allah during the attack and asked at least one person whether they were Muslim.”

Adan’s stabbing victims included seven men, one woman, and a 15-year-old girl.

Exactly a year ago, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton had warned Minnesotans, who expressed concern about the US state’s ever-growing Somali population, to “pack their bags and move on”.

He told “white, B-plus, Minnesota-born citizens” to get used to immigrant resettlement in the state, and if they can’t cope they should “find another state”. Almost 100,000 Somali refugees have been resettled in the United States since 9/11, many of them in Minnesota. Few Somali migrants in America have reportedly joined Al-Shabab and ISIS.

Dramatic increase in Somali migrants has resulted in resentment among the locals but local political leadership refused to pay heed. Even police chief Anderson is not speaking up against it for fear of being branded a bigot.

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