On September 17, 2016, Dahir A. Adan, a 22-year-old, Kenyan-born American man, stabbed ten people while wielding two knives at the Crossroads Center shopping mall in St.

[4] Reports said the attacker made references to Allah, including shouting "Allahu Akbar,"[3] and asked several people if they were Muslim.

[5][6][7][8][9] Immediately following the stabbings, the attacker was confronted by Jason Falconer, a firearms instructor and part-time police officer from nearby Avon, Minnesota.

The attacker ran into the clothing display area, turned towards Falconer, and lay down on the floor while still holding both knives.

"[22] Adan had been employed part-time by the Swiss security services provider Securitas; he had been assigned to guard an unidentified Electrolux facility.

[25] An autopsy performed on Adan following his death found that he died of exsanguination (blood loss) as a result of the six gunshot wounds he had sustained.

[28] On September 28, in the midst of the preliminary investigation, FBI Director James Comey said Adan may have been motivated by "some sort of inspiration from radical Islamic groups.

"[29] In February 2017, Rick Thornton––the head of the FBI in Minneapolis––told the Associated Press that they were still investigating the attack, but that it was unlikely they could figure out Adan's motives and thought process.

[31] On April 5, 2018, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Representative Tom Emmer awarded Falconer the Congressional Badge of Bravery.

They expressed concern at the rise of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment in response to the attack, calling for unity among the general community.