ROANOKE COUNTY (WSLS 10) - What Roanoke County Police say was a random stabbing is now getting national attention as the FBI helps with the investigation.
Wasil Farooqui, 20, is charged after police say he attacked two people at The Pines Apartments in the 4300 block of Banbury Lane Saturday in Roanoke County.
NBC News reports federal law enforcement officials say they have yet to find any ISIS connection. Roanoke County officials say 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. Both the male and female victim remain in the hospital and are recovering well officials said. Families who live in the area are reeling following news of the attack.
"There are kids running around this neighborhood all the time and you feel so safe and then something like that happens and it takes your security away" said Allison Mullins, neighbor.
According to NBC News, Farooqui told authorities he heard voices and at this point investigators believe the most likely explanation is he is mentally disturbed rather than terrorist-inspired.
One NBC source says while witnesses said the attacker shouted "Allah Akbar," that may not turn out to be the case. There are some conflicting accounts.
NBC News says Farooqui was known to the FBI, which had looked earlier into his past travel. He may have at one point tried to get to Syria, but was not charged with anything after the FBI examined his travel. He also went to Germany and Turkey this year in a possible attempt to join ISIS, but the FBI decided not to charge him with attempted ISIS support for that, according to NBC News.
Federal law enforcement officials say both the victims in the attack are Muslim, though the attacker may not have known that. According to Roanoke County School leaders Wasil R. Farooqui was enrolled at Hidden Valley Middle (2006-2009) and Hidden Valley High (2009-2012). School leaders said he withdrew from Hidden Valley High School in March 2012.
NBC says investigators are looking at Farooqui's laptop computer and reviewing his Internet and email activity. They say no indication of an ISIS inspiration has yet emerged, but the analysis of his communication is not yet complete.
(NBC News contributed to this report).