Suspect in University of California Merced stabbings was inspired by ISIS

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By BNO NEWS

The 18-year-old college student who stabbed four people at the University of California in Merced before being shot dead by a police officer was inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS) group, investigators say.

An update released by the FBI on Thursday said that ISIS propaganda was found on the laptop of Faisal Mohammad, who was also found to have visited ISIS and other extremist websites in the weeks prior to the attack on November 4, 2015.

“The FBI uncovered information that indicated Mohammad began his preparations for the attack at least one week prior to the assault,” the FBI said. It added that no evidence was found to suggest that Mohammad was working with or at the direction of anyone else.

Mohammad stabbed and injured four students as he moved across the Merced campus, but a two-page, handwritten letter that was found in his backpack indicated that he had hoped to carry out a larger attack by taking hostages and killing both students and police officers.

In addition to the letter, which has yet to be released, investigators also found a photocopy of an Islamic State flag and a list of items he thought he would need for the attack, such as zip ties, glass breaker, and a knife among his belongings.

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