ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — The Latest on the stabbing of nine people at a central Minnesota shopping mall (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

The off-duty police officer who shot and killed a man suspected of stabbing nine people in a Minnesota mall is deflecting praise from people who call him a hero.

Jason Falconer is being hailed by authorities, Gov. Mark Dayton and others for stopping a man suspected of carrying out the attack Saturday night in a St. Cloud mall. Federal authorities say they are treating it as a potential act of terrorism.

Falconer told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he's "been trying to stay away from it all, for the time being." He told the newspaper he wasn't hurt and declined to talk further, citing the ongoing investigation for not saying more.

No one answered the door late Sunday at a home address listed for Falconer, and a voicemail box for a telephone listing was full and not accepting new messages.

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4:10 p.m.

Leaders of the Somali community in central Minnesota are condemning the stabbing of nine people at a mall.

Community leaders held a news conference Sunday and said the suspect in Saturday night's attack at a St. Cloud mall does not represent the larger Somali community.

They urged the broader community to unite, and said they feared backlash against Somalis living in the area.

The man's father identified the suspect as Dahir Adan in an interview with the Star Tribune. Authorities haven't confirmed that name and say they are still investigating. Adan was shot dead by an off-duty police officer.

All nine victims suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

Meanwhile, St. Cloud Technical and Community College says Adan was never a student there, as has been reported. St. Cloud University confirms he attended school there, but has not been enrolled since spring 2016.

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3:30 p.m.

The father of the man who stabbed nine people at a central Minnesota mall has identified him as a 22-year-old college student.

Ahmed Adan told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that police told him Saturday night that his son, Dahir A. Adan, died at Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud.

He says police didn't mention the attack on the mall, but they seized photos and other materials from the family's apartment.

Authorities haven't publicly identified the attacker. They say the attacker stabbed nine people Saturday night before an off-duty police officer shot and killed him. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

Ahmed Adan, who is Somali, says his son came to the U.S. 15 years ago and was a student at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. He told the Star Tribune he had "no suspicion" that his son might have been involved in terrorist activity.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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1:10 p.m.

An FBI official says investigators are viewing an attack at a Minnesota mall in which a man stabbed nine people as a possible act of terrorism.

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Rick Thornton said Sunday that authorities are digging into the suspect's background to determine his possible motivation for Saturday night's attack at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud.

St. Cloud's mayor and police chief praised the swift actions of an off-duty, part-time Avon police officer for shooting and killing the attacker. They identified him as Officer Jason Falconer.

Mayor David Kleis says there were nine people who were hurt, not eight, as authorities previously reported. He says the ninth person took themselves to a hospital and was treated and released. Three of the victims remain hospitalized with injuries that aren't considered life-threatening.

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11:50 a.m.

Three college freshmen who were shopping at a Minnesota mall when a man stabbed eight people say they saw two bloodied men stumble from a hallway.

Sydney Weires (weerz) says she was at Crossroads Center mall with two friends Saturday night when they heard a scream. She says she saw a man who looked like a security guard sprint down a hallway, and then two men stumbled out.

She says one had blood on his face, and the other had blood on his back. The men screamed to get out of the mall because someone had a knife.

Weires says she and her friends ran out of the mall.

Authorities say all of the injured are expected to survive. They say the suspect was dressed in a private security uniform and reportedly made references to Allah.

An off-duty police officer shot and killed him.

 

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