Just terrible…
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-uc-merced-stabbing-20151104-story.html
There’d be more fatalities had he used a gun. (Small blessings.)
No victim fatalities. Not any time I can remember being able to say that when weapon was a gun.
The only fatality was the suspect who was killed by police.
Our first “stabbing” terrorism: the UC stabber was Faisal Muhammed, a freshman from Santa Clara. According to people who knew him, he showed no signs of mental illness, that he was “quiet, smart and did not bother anyone. He showed no signs of mental illness or aggression.” One of the victims Byron Price, said as Muhammed stabbed him, “He had a smile on his face, he was having fun, which is more the thing that bothers me.”
I assume the Islamophobia cries will come out: this isn’t terror, etc., etc., etc. If you saw the social media/internet news incitations to violence from the Muslim world that I see daily …
The FBI is investigating. His online contacts will be seen. One report from the local station said the first victim had his throat slashed.
UC Merced released a statement yesterday. So far no links to terrorism have been found. Everything is pointing to a personal vendetta for being kicked out of a study group.
Of course, people will jump to conclusions anyway.
Statements from the campus:
http://www.ucmerced.edu/sheriffs_office_update
http://www.ucmerced.edu/news/2015/message-chancellor-leland-campus-community
The issue, to me, having followed this kind of thing in other places is that we in the West don’t grasp motivations unless they are spelled out. Or rather that we prefer not to connect dots unless the dots fit our pre-existing biases. In this case, I wouldn’t expect a manifesto about destroying the West or something like that, but rather that something, anything set a kid off who wouldn’t otherwise do anything like this because he has been exposed to appeals from extremist Islamics, from ISIS, from other sources that entice the young to do God’s work.
Other countries have experienced more of this so they are more attuned to the effect of appeals toward violence in the name of God. Note this kid apparently included a bunch of praise to God notes in his list.
But many here won’t accept this. Yet.
Believing that everything is a Daesh or other terrorist conspiracy or that every Muslim (or possibly Muslim person) is a Daesh or other terrorist agent or recruit is exactly what Daesh and other terrorists want you to believe and fear. Winning your heart and mind magnifies their power.