NEWS BRIEF The suspect behind the mall attack in Minnesota Saturday has been identified by family members as 22-year-old Dahir Aden, according to local media.
An off-duty police officer shot and killed the man who stabbed nine people at a St. Cloud shopping mall Saturday night. The suspect’s family identified him as Aden, a Somali-American student at St. Cloud State University. The attacker was wearing a security guard’s uniform and reportedly made a reference to Allah during the attack. None of the victims sustained life-threatening injuries.
Aden’s father, Ahmed, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune the family first learned of the 22-year-old’s death Saturday night from police, though they did not suspect his involvement until the FBI executed a search warrant for the family’s apartment the following day. Authorities have not formally identified Aden as a suspect.
Aden’s father said his son was born in Kenya, but grew up in the United States. Community members described him as an honors student who worked part-time as a security officer. They said he did not have a history of violence.
“The entire community is shocked by this incident,” Abdul Kulane, a leader in St. Cloud’s Somali-American community, said in a statement Sunday. “Our sympathy goes to the families and the victims and the entire community affected by this incident.”
