On November 4, 2015, Faisal Mohammad, a freshman at UC Merced, stabbed four students at the school before being killed by police. Now, it has been revealed that the FBI believes his attacks were "motivated by ISIS" and that Mohammad had been "self-radicalized."
An FBI statement obtained by PEOPLE claims Faisal Mohammed, a U.S.-born student, had ISIS propaganda on his computer. Officials believe he was self-radicalized because he had no direct contact with the organization.
Investigators claim Mohammed's own writings revealed his attack was planned in advance.
Mohammad did not have any direct contact with ISIS-related groups, but did have a manifesto written in advance of the attack that detailed macabre plans to kill dozens of people, including police officers. Thankfully, all of Mohammad's stabbing victims survived the attack.
It's scary to think that ordinary Americans (Mohammad was U.S.-born and raised) could embrace such a violent ideology. It's important for people to be vigilant to combat extremism before things become tragic.