Profiling Faisal Mohammad – UC Merced Failed Jihadist

Editor: John R. Houk

November 8, 2015

On November 4, 2015 Faisal Mohammad (18 yr. old) stabbed four people on the University of California Merced campus. I'm curious. When you first of this incident (if you even did), did you happen to hear a crazy Muslim Freshman student set out on a psycho-jihad spree to kill as many non-Muslims as he could find? Probably not.

JRH 11/8/15

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UC Merced stabber "devout Muslim," manifesto included "praise Allah," beheading plan

By ROBERT SPENCER

NOVEMBER 6, 2015 10:55 PM

Jihad Watch

"The 18-year-old freshman wrote a numeric list outlining his plans of who he wanted to kill, and how, including beheading and shooting his victims, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told FoxNews.com…'No. 27 was to "make sure people are tied down," No. 28 was "sit down and praise Allah."'"

Then Warnke tells us this had nothing to do with Islam. The capacity for self-deceit and denial is endless, as authorities in the U.S. seem to have an indomitable will to make Islam look good, no matter what the facts of the case may be.

Faisal Mohammad

"Campus stabber's manifesto included 'praise for Allah,' plan for beheading," by Malia Zimmerman and Hollie McKay, Fox News, November 6, 2015 (thanks to Bulldog):

"A handwritten manifesto carried by a California college student whose stabbing spree Wednesday left four wounded bore names of his targets, a vow "to cut someone's head off" and as many as five reminders to "praise Allah," law enforcement authorities told FoxNews.com, while insisting that neither terrorism nor religion appear to be motives in the attack. 

 In the two-page document found in Faisal Mohammad's pocket by the county coroner, the 18-year-old freshman wrote a numeric list outlining his plans of who he wanted to kill, and how, including beheading and shooting his victims, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told FoxNews.com[.] 

 "No. 27 was to 'make sure people are tied down,' No. 28 was "sit down and praise Allah,'" Warnke said. "I remember seeing four or five times, scribbled on the side of the two-page manifesto, where he wrote something like 'praise Allah.'" 

 The manifesto has not been released, but Warnke expects it to be within the next few days. 

 Mohammad's intended bloodbath began around 8 a.m., when he burst into his classroom with an 8-inch hunting knife. Police said it would have continued – and possibly claimed lives – if he hadn't been interrupted by a construction team, and then shot dead by police. 

 "There was a gruesome statement he made about wanting to cut someone's head off and kill two people with one bullet, and he planned to shoot the police," Warnke said. "He did not have a firearm with him and didn't seem to have a lot of experience with firearms because he thought he could kill two people with one bullet. He reminded himself in the list to raise the gun slowly. He scripted everything out in chronological order." 

 But all law enforcement involved in the investigation, including Warnke, continued to maintain that there is no evidence Mohammed is tied to a terrorist group or was inspired by terrorists. 

 "There was nothing to indicate he was doing this because of Allah, or because he was going to be rewarded with 72 virgins, or because of ties to a terror group," Warnke said. "He appeared to be a devout Muslim, on the strong side of the belief." 

 The FBI is thoroughly investigating this angle, Warnke said. 

 "There was nothing on his computer or in his dorm room or in the manifesto to suggest any ties to terrorism or terrorists groups," Warnke said. 

 As a wannabe killer, Mohammed was cold and calculating. 

 Mohammed slashed and stabbed four people, including two students, a student aide and Byron Price, a 31-year-old construction manager who intervened. 

 "He had a smile on his face, he was having fun, which is more the thing that bothers me," said Byron Price, who was managing the construction site at the university for his family's construction company. 

 Mohammed fled the classroom after he was overwhelmed by Price and another construction worker who was about to hit Mohammed with a ladder. 

 "He was banking on the fear factor. …His plan went haywire because people fought back," Warnke said. "He got so befuddled at the activities that happened; it took the script away from him."…

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Faisal Mohammad: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

By Paul Farrell

Published 8:53 am EST, November 5, 2015 Updated 10:00 pm EST, November 5, 2015

Heavy.com

An 18-year-old named Faisal Mohammad "had a smile on his face" as he stabbed four people at a University of California campus in Merced, according to witnesses. He was shot and killed by campus police officers who responded to the school after hearing about the attack. The incident occurred on the morning of November 4 in the town of Merced, just over100 miles east of San Jose. A statement from the school said that the attack happened outdoors on the campus in front of the Classroom and Office Building. Later it emerged that the stabbing began inside of a classroom and spilled out into the front of the building.

Here's what you need to know:

1. He Was Angry at Classmates Who Kicked Him Out of a Study Group

ABC7Now Twitter feed on UC Merced jihadist

Natasha Zouves ABC7Verified account‏@NatashaABC7 

 @MercedSunStar IDs suspect in #UCMerced stabbing rampage as Faisal Mohammad, he just turned 18 years old. #abc7now

The alert about the stabbing first came from the school's Twitter account at around 8 a.m. on November 4. Mohammad was a student at the school with his age being described, incorrectly, as "early 20s," reports The Merced Sun Star. The paper was quoting Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke, who has his deputies assisting the Merced Campus police in the investigation. Warnke later said that investigators found "duct tape, zip ties & hammer" in Mohammad's book bag, the sheriff added "He intended to do more harm." Later, ABC Fresno reported that cops found a manifesto on Mohammad's person which detailed individuals that he wished to attack. The station says that one person in particular had kicked the suspect out of a study group.

CBS Fresno's Janelle Bludau reports that the officer who shot Mohammad "was a former sheriff's deputy." The suspect was a computer science and engineering major.

VIDEO: School: 5 stabbed at UC Merced, suspect shot and killed

Published by CNN 

Published on Nov 4, 2015 

 Five people have been stabbed at the University of California, Merced, the school announced via Twitter. The suspect was shot and killed.

An official statement from the school confirmed that Mohammad had been shot and killed by responding officers. Erroneous reports had earlier stated that Mohammad had been arrested by officers. LA Times reporter Hailey Brandons-Potts reports that Mohammad was shot dead on a bridge, about 40 yards from the building where the stabbing began, that most students use to walk to classes.

2. One of the Victims, Byron Price, Is Being Hailed as a Hero by the Police

One of the victims is Byron Price, who works for his father's construction company. (Facebook)

In total, four people were stabbed by Mohammad. The Merced Sun Star newspaper reports that the two critical victims had to be flown to a hospital. All of the victims were conscious by the time first responders got to the scene and are expected to survive.

Corin Hoggard @corinhoggard  Nov 4 

@thekidfrommarz Thanks. I'm hearing the same, but unconfirmed so far. 

 martin @thekidfrommarz 

@corinhoggard  pic.twitter.com/yLTq7AgSJO 

10:37 AM - 4 Nov 2015

Someone got stabbed - Bruh

A tweet from the school said that not all of the victims are students. The Los Angeles Times' Joe Serna reported that two victims are students and one is a school staff member. The other is a 31-year-old construction worker named Byron Price.

Byron Price Stab Wounds

Joey Horta  

✔@JoeyHorta 

 Knife hit bone- contractor Byron Price- called a hero by sheriff in @ucmerced stabbing. Talks only to us at 5 @cbs47

He told Your Central Valley that after being stabbed a coworker drove him to a nearby hospital. In an interview with the station, Price added that he was working outside the building where the stabbing took place. After hearing screaming, Price went to see what had happened. "Upon opening the door to the classroom, the suspect attacked him with a knife," during which point he was stabbed although he did manage to kick Mohammad. He later told Your Central Valley "I just kind of kicked at him. It was a really big knife and he was swinging it down so I figured if I was on the ground and my feet were at him, he could get my legs and not my body. And it turned out, it worked."

According to his Facebook page, Price just got engaged on October 14, around 2 weeks before the attack. Speaking to CBS Fresno, Price said that Mohammad "had a smile on his face, he was having fun – which is more what bothers me." He also told the station that the whole incident made him think "differently about having a concealed weapon." Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke described Price as a hero saying "Without him, the first victim could have been a lot worse off, or even dead."

One student, who was not a victim, described the weapon as being a "10-12 inch blade." It was later confirmed that the knife was 8-10 inches in length. The Los Angeles Times described it as a "hunting knife."

3. Mohammad's Roommate Says He Rarely Spoke & Kept to Himself

VIDEO: 5 injured in stabbing at UC Merced; suspect killed by police

Published by KCRA News 

Published on Nov 4, 2015 

 Five people were stabbed on the UC Merced campus Wednesday morning, and the suspect, who was a student, was shot and killed by police, according to university officials. Subscribe to KCRA on YouTube now for more: http://bit.ly/1kjRAAn 

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the dorm where Mohammad lived, Tuolumne, was evacuated and searched by the local bomb squad, reports the school newspaper, The Prodigy. One student, who knew Mohammad's roommate, said that the suspect was "rarely ever in the room." Speaking to ABC Fresno, that roommate, identified as Andrew Velasquez, said that Mohammad "didn't talk much and kept to himself" he added "Every time I would try and say something he would just ignore it."

Ramona Gwargis Twitter Photo Frosh

Ramona Giwargis 

@RamonaGiwargis 

 "He wouldn't affiliate himself with anyone," says UC Merced freshman who lived in housing hall with Faisal Mohammad 

2:04 PM - 5 Nov 2015

The Merced Sun Star reports that he was a native of Santa Clara, California. While the San Jose Mercury News reports that he was a graduate of Wilcox High School.

The newspaper says that the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security have joined the investigation.

4. An ISIS-Linked Twitter Account Praised the Attack

Faisal Mohammad high school photo

Rob Fladeboe @KRON4RFladeboe 

 Alleged UC Merced assailant was June graduate of Wilcox High School in Santa Clara. Yearbook photo@kron4news 

12:47 PM - 5 Nov 2015

Speaking to Fox News, Veryan Khan of the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC), a group that monitors terrorist groups on social media, said the attack has been praised on ISIS-linked Twitter accounts. Khan said "Over the past three days, the Islamic State has released nineteen videos encouraging Palestinians stabbing attacks on Israel. The media campaign coincides with a wave of renewed violence between Israel and Palestine, after a wave of seemingly lone wolf attacks by Palestinians targeting Israelis."

NBC reporter Andrew Blankenstein tweeted that terrorism has been ruled out by investigators.

5. The Worst Stabbing at a U.S. College Occurred at Lone Star Community College in 2013

The University of California Merced campus. (Wikipedia)

The school was opened in 2005 and has around 6,685 students enrolled, most of whom come from California. The Merced Sun Star reported that in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, the school was closed with students advised to avoid the campus. Roads around the facility were blocked off. A statement from the school says that counseling is available 24 hours a day from the University of California Counseling & Psychological Services, call 209-228-4266 to speak to a counsellor over the phone.

UC Merced Police Chief and Assistant Vice Chancellor Albert Vasquez. (UC Merced)

The head of UC Merced's safety and security is campus police chief and assistant vice-chancellor Albert Vasquez. He was appointed to the role in July 2015. The day-to-day operations of the department are handled by Lieutenant Chou Her. Previously, Vasquez worked at Santa Monica College. He said upon his appointment "It is a new position to the institution, and I am thrilled about the possibilities for the continued development in all of the safety areas on campus." The Merced Sun Star reports that Vasquez was on the U.N. International Police Task Force and the Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program.

A 2014 security report from the school indicates that there were only six crimes on campus, one forcible sex offense, one burglary and four cases of stalking.

VIDEO: From Mass Stabbing to Gun Control: Dylan Quick Could've been Shooting 14 People to Death

Posted by YouHotNews 

Published on Apr 10, 2013 

 On Fox News with Megyn Kelly, Stephen Maida, one of the students who tackled the Suspect in Lone Star College Mass Stabbing explained why he doesn't think guns would have improved the situation on campus. 

"if you look at the kids at the school and more of the people that are around here, seeing them with a gun would worry me more, and to know how easy they get provoked and how crazy they can be. This kid, instead of stabbing people, he could have been shooting all 14 people, and all 14 people could have been dead."

In April 2013, 14 people were stabbed inside classrooms at Lone Star Community College in Cypress, Texas. The suspect in the crime, Dylan Quick, had to be subdued by other students. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court documents showed that he told officers about his fantasies of killing people at the school. He had been born deaf but had a cochlear implant.

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UC Merced stabber "devout Muslim," manifesto included "praise Allah," beheading plan

Content Copyright Robert Spencer

Why Jihad Watch?

Why Jihad Watch? Because non-Muslims in the West, as well as in India, China, Russia, and the world over, are facing a concerted effort by Islamic jihadists, the motives and goals of whom are largely ignored by the Western media, to destroy their societies and impose Islamic law upon them — and to commit violence to that end even while their overall goal remains out of reach. That effort goes under the general rubric of jihad.

Jihad (Arabic for "struggle") is a central duty of every Muslim. Muslim theologians have spoken of many things as jihads: the struggle within the soul, defending the faith from critics, supporting its growth and defense financially, even migrating to non-Muslim lands for the purpose of spreading Islam. But violent jihad is a constant of Islamic history and a central element of Islamic theology. Many passages of the Qur'an and sayings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are used by jihad warriors today to justify their actions and gain new recruits. No major Muslim group has ever repudiated the doctrines of armed jihad. The theology of jihad, which denies unbelievers equality of human rights and dignity, is available today for anyone with the will and means to bring it to life.

In Islamic history and doctrine violent jihad is founded on numerous verses of the Qur'an — most notably, one known in Islamic theology as the "Verse of the Sword": "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is forgiving, merciful" (9:5). Establishing "regular worship" and paying the "poor-due" (zakat) means essentially that they will become Muslim, as these … READ THE REST

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Faisal Mohammad: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Paul Farrell is Heavy's breaking news editor. He's from Ireland and lives in Brooklyn. Reach him at Paul@heavy.com. 

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