The attack, first reported about 8:15 p.m., occurred at a St. Cloud, Minn. shopping center, when a man dressed in a private security company uniform brandished a knife and attacked mallgoers in multiple parts of the shopping center. An off-duty police officer from another district then fatally shot the perpetrator, police said.
Eight people were transported to the hospital with what authorities said were non-life threatening injuries.
The department released a statement saying that “the individual we believe to be responsible for the victim’s stab wounds is currently deceased inside the mall.”
Also per CNN, St. Cloud police chief William Anderson said shortly after midnight Saturday that the attacker reportedly “made a reference to Allah during the attack and asked at least one person whether they were Muslim.” Anderson said he was not ready to classify the attack as an act of terrorism, though he added that the police department will be “diligent” and “get to the bottom of this.”
“What we know is it is a lone suspect who attacked at least eight people […] whether that was a terrorist attack or not, I’m not willing to say that right now because we just don’t know,” Anderson said.
The Associated Press has since reported that Islamic State-run media has claimed responsibility for the event.
BREAKING: IS-linked media claims Minnesota mall stabber was ‘soldier of the Islamic State.’
The suspect has reportedly had contact with police three times before, though none of those incidents led to an arrest. The suspect has not yet been publicly identified.
Article Appeared @http://www.complex.com/life/2016/09/8-stabbing-victims-hospital-minnesota-mall-attack