Unanswered Questions Fuel Doubts Among Friends of Minnesota Mall Attacker
Thursday September 22, 2016
Somali-American
leaders in St. Cloud, Minn., held a news conference Sunday to address
the attack the previous day at the Crossroads Center Mall. Credit
The St. Cloud police, citing eyewitnesses, said within hours of Saturday’s attack that Mr. Adan had mentioned Allah during the episode and asked at least one victim if he was Muslim before assaulting him. On Sunday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and referred to Mr. Adan, 20, as a "soldier” for their terrorist organization. The F.B.I. swiftly mobilized to investigate the case.
But since Monday, the authorities have released almost no new
information about the case, frustrating some Somalis here, who are
dubious of any link to the terrorist group, and are unsure why it is
taking the authorities so long to release surveillance video and a more
detailed narrative.
"Right now, anyone who knows him is really,
really desperate for answers,” said Mubarak Ibrahim, a St. Cloud State
University student who said he had known Mr. Adan since they attended
junior high school together. Mr. Ibrahim said there was "nothing
abnormal about” Mr. Adan, whom he saw playing basketball about two weeks
ago.
"The longer they take with bringing out facts, that gives more people time to come up with their own stories,” Mr. Ibrahim said.
A social-media image of Dahir Adan, the alleged assailant. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES |
The F.B.I.’s Joint Terrorism Task Force took over the case on Tuesday
afternoon, and on Wednesday a bureau spokesman said he had no new
information to release. Also Wednesday, the St. Cloud police denied an
open records request seeking security footage from the mall, incident
reports and copies of search warrants, citing the continuing
investigation.
"I personally am doubtful until I receive evidence
of what happened,” said Hassan Yussuf, who runs a tax preparation
business at the Mogadishu Grocery store here, and who recently ran for a
spot on the local school board. Mr. Yussuf said Mr. Adan came from a
well-respected Somali family whose patriarch was instrumental in
establishing St. Cloud’s first Muslim cemetery.
"I think people need answers,” Mr. Yussuf said.
The
Adan family has declined interview requests through its lawyer,
Abdulwahid Osman, although family members released a statement this week
extending sympathies to the victims and asking that people not rush to
judgment.
Some Somali leaders who initially feared widespread retaliation said
they have been heartened that the city’s mayor, police chief and
Christian clergy members have urged respect and kindness for St. Cloud’s
large Somali population. On Tuesday night, a diverse group of students
at St. Cloud State, where Mr. Adan had previously been enrolled, held a
rally and unity march on campus.
But the lack of clarity remains a
sore point for Somalis here, and some are openly questioning whether
Mr. Adan’s heritage prompted a rush to judgment.
Halima Aden, a
freshman at St. Cloud State who was homecoming queen last year at the
high school Mr. Adan attended, said, "As soon as they released the name,
it was like ‘Terrorism, terrorism, terrorism’ ” in the comment sections
on local news websites.
"Had his name been James Johnson,” she asked, "would the headline say ‘Terrorism?’ ”
Unanswered Questions Fuel Doubts Among Friends of Minnesota Mall Attacker
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Frustration is growing among members of the Somali community here who are eager for official information about a stabbing attack at a mall Saturday that left 10 people injured and the suspect, Dahir Adan, shot dead by an off-