FBI: Calif. college stabbing suspect had Islamic State propaganda

A California college student who stabbed a classmate and attacked three more people last fall acted on his own but may have collected information on terrorists via social media, the FBI office in Sacramento, Calif., said Thursday.

Faisal Mohammad, an 18-year-old freshman, entered a classroom at the University of California at Merced on Nov. 4 and stabbed a fellow student with a hunting knife, authorities said. The freshman from Santa Clara, Calif., stabbed three more people as he fled the classroom and made his way through the campus, where he was fatally shot by a campus police officer, according to the FBI.

In all, Mohammad stabbed two students, a staff member and a construction worker, all who survived.

The FBI says that during a probe that opened immediately after the incident, investigators discovered pro-Islamic State propaganda on Mohammad's laptop and also saw that he'd visited websites for Islamic State and other terror groups. Mohammad began preparing for the attacks at least a week before the incident, the agency said. Investigators discovered a handwritten note detailing plans on the incident in his backback, the FBI said. According to those plans, Mohammad planned to kill students and police officers and take hostages, according to the agency. Among Mohammad's belongings, investigators also found an Islamic State flag, along with zip ties, a knife and other items he thought he would need to carry out the attacks, the FBI said.

"It may never be possible to definitively determine why he chose to attack people on the UC Merced campus, the statement read.

School Chancellor Dorothy Leland said she was relieved Thursday to have closure on the incident, and thanked the public and the campus for its patience.

"While I shared your desire for a quicker resolution, we are better served by law enforcement’s completion of its investigation in due course," Leland said. “I am proud of the way our campus community came together in the aftermath of this incident, and the kindness displayed by so many only reinforced what I already knew to be true about UC Merced. Now, we move to the task of further healing and taking care of the needs of our students, staff and faculty.”

The campus about 100 miles southeast of the California state capital of Sacramento has 6,700 students.

Suspect in UC Merced stabbings identified as 'anti-social' freshman