Farooqui to receive second mental evaluation after stabbing two people

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) -The man who police say screamed "Allahu Akbar" while stabbing two people at a Roanoke County apartment complex is now at a maximum security mental health facility.

20-year-old Wasil Farooqui is charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding in the August attack.

The Commonwealth's Attorney says the preliminary hearing originally scheduled for Thursday hasn't happened because Farooqui's mental competency is once again in question.

Farooqui told police at the time of the stabbing he heard voices telling him to attack his victims.

Farooqui is accused of stabbing his two victims, people he had never met or had any connection to, with a kitchen knife while they were leaving the swimming pool at their apartment complex in Roanoke County.

Before the attack, Farooqui grabbed the knife from his kitchen at his home on Pelham Drive, which is less than a mile away from where his victims lived.

Shortly after he was arrested, Farooqui's defense had a psychiatrist evaluate him.

That psychiatrist determined he was mentally competent to stand trial.

The Commonwealth's Attorney says since being held at the Western Virginia Regional Jail, the defense has argued Farooqui has experienced mental decompensation.

Farooqui has been taken to Central State Hospital in Petersburg, a maximum security psychiatric hospital where he will be evaluated again.

If he can be cleared as competent to stand trial, he will have his preliminary hearing on November 21st.


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