Mahad A. Abdiraham, 20, was charged with two counts of felony-first degree assault and admitted in Hennepin County District to the crimes, last week
The Minneapolis man who shanked two brothers while inside Macy’s at the Mall of America last fall asserted that he was answering ‘the call for Jihad’ for ISIS when pleading guilty.
Mahad A. Abdiraham, 20, was charged with two counts of felony-first degree assault and admitted in Hennepin County District to the crimes, last week.
‘I went to Mall of America to answer the call for Jihad by the Chief of the Believers, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi — may Allah protect him — and by the Mujahiden of the Islamic State [ISIS]. … I am here reaffirming that it was indeed an act of Jihad in the way of Allah,’ Abdiraham was said to have read during his guilty plea, according to the Star Tribune.
‘I want the reason for my attack to be clear to this court and to the public, so that you may understand that you will never be safe as long as your country is at war with Islam. And that the threat of death [or] imprisonment will never deter us from fighting for the sake of Allah.’
Abdiraham stabbed 19-year-old Alexander Sanchez and his brother John, 25 on November 12 at the Macy’s with an eight-inch blade.
‘I went to Mall of America to answer the call for Jihad by the Chief of the Believers, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi — may Allah protect him,’ he said
Alexander Sanchez was stabbed after confronting Abdirahaman who was allegedly trying to steal his belongings out the dressing room while he tried on pants. He had cuts to his head and ones on his arms that went ‘to the bone.’ The charges listed that he needed a blood transfusion.
His brother, John, tried to step in and help and managed to grab the knife but was cut on his hand. He would sustain a back cut as well before subduing Abdiraham. He needed dozens of stitches for the cuts.
Abdiraham was said to have psychological difficulties, having stabbed two employees with a pen at an inpatient psychiatric unit.
He stabbed 19-year-old Alexander Sanchez and his brother John, 25 on November 12 at the Macy’s with an eight-inch blade
Cindy Leon, the brother’s aunt, explained that ‘this evil human being was trying to kill Alex and John because of his stupid beliefs. I want the world to know the truth. … Everyone needs to know this was a terrorist attack.’
Abdiraham was said to have psychological difficulties, having stabbed two employees with a pen at an inpatient psychiatric unit
She added that both victims haven’t been able to go back to the family’s roofing business because of their injuries.
Alex ‘can’t move one side of his face,’ and most undergo therapy for the ordeal, she continued.
His brother has limited thumb use and has constant pain in his back.
In the courtroom during Abdiraham’s statement, Leon allegedly asked, ‘Don’t you feel something?’
He just laughed.
Abdiraham will be sentenced on February 16 and should expect up to 31 years total for the attack.
But he would only spend the first 10.25 years in a state prison with the remaining time under supervised release.