Faisal Mohammad, 18, who was shot and killed after stabbing four individuals last November had self-radicalized, the FBI said in a statement.
The federal law enforcement agency said Mohammad had pro-Islamic State propaganda on his computer and had visited other extremist websites prior to the attack.
“Investigators developed information that he may have self-radicalized and drawn inspiration from terrorist propaganda,” the FBI’s statement said.
Faisal Mohammad. (Image source: University of California, Merced)
Faisal Mohammad (Image source: University of California, Merced)
The attack was not directed by a member of the Islamic State, the FBI added. Moreover, law enforcement found no information to show Mohammad was working with anyone else.
During the rampage, Mohammad carried a backpack containing a two-page, hand-written plan, saying that he intended to take hostages while killing students and police officers, the FBI investigators said.
He also had a photocopy of an Islamic State flag and a list of items he would need for the attack — zip ties, glass breakers and a knife.
In a statement, UCM Chancellor Dorothy Leland said the campus was “relieved to finally have resolution to this very tragic event on the UC Merced campus.”
“I would like to thank the public, and especially our campus community, for having patience as we navigated the long road to get to this point of closure,” she said. “While I shared your desire for a quicker resolution, we are better served by law enforcement’s completion of its investigation in due course.”
The FBI said that while “every indication is that Mohammad acted on his own,” it “may never be possible to definitively determine why he chose to attack people on the UC Merced campus.”