The FBI is investigating a Saturday stabbing in Roanoke, Virginia to determine whether the attacker was inspired by the Islamic State terror group.
Law enforcement sources said the alleged attacker, Wasil Farooqui, 20, of Roanoke County yelled "Allah Akbar"—God is Great in Arabic–as he carried out the stabbing. Farooqui was charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and is being held without bond, CBS News reported Tuesday.
Authorities said Farooqui attacked a man and woman with a knife just before 8 p.m. on Saturday night, leaving both severely wounded. A spokeswoman for the city of Roanoke said that the attack was not an attempted beheading despite previous reports.
"The male victim suffered multiple lacerations all over his body, including his neck, but this did not appear to be an attempt at a beheading," city spokeswoman Amy Whitaker told CBS News.
Farooqui was on the radar of federal authorities for some time prior to the stabbing, ABC News reported. He reportedly traveled to Turkey during the past year and may have attempted to cross into Syria, where ISIS has established its de facto capital to recruit and train jihadist fighters.
"The FBI is working with the police department following the incident that occurred on Saturday evening," Adam Lee, the head of the FBI’s Richmond field office and the special agent in charge of the investigation, said in a statement. "While I cannot discuss details of the investigation at this time, I do want to reassure the community that we are working to determine the nature of the incident."