This Is the Face of ISIS in Virginia
27th January 2026
The 17-year-old “Virginian” pictured above is named Fasihullah Safar. Although he hails from Virginia, the jihad attack that brought about his arrest was perpetrated in New Jersey, which is more thoroughly Islamized than Virginia.
“Safar” is an Arab surname, but based on his mug shot, there is probably an admixture of more diverse DNA among young Fasihullah’s antecedents, perhaps an imported (or enslaved) bride from Malaysia, Indonesia, or the Philippines.
The young mujahid not only yelled “Allahu Akhbar” during his knife attack on police officers (Patch felt obliged to explain that “Muslims have denounced the phrase’s usage as a battle cry in acts of terrorism”), he also proclaimed his devotion to the Islamic State during his testimony in court, and expressed his desire to join the group. As a result, it’s difficult for law enforcement and the news media to claim that the motive for the assault is unknown — you can’t find a clearer declaration of Islamic jihad. And in this case there has been no attempt to write the youngster’s behavior off as mental illness: he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to eighteen years in the slammer.
One wonders how many generations separate young Fasihullah from the ancestors who first arrived in the USA. Britain’s experience with the 7/7 attackers suggests that it would not be at all unusual if the youngster is a second- or third-generation Muslim who was “radicalized”. Such radicalization may occur online, but it can also happen simply by his engaging in the devout study of Islamic scriptures under the tutelage of an imam at the local mosque. Unless an immigrant family completely abandons its affiliation with Islam — which almost never happens — later generations are likely to become ardent practitioners of jihad.