The assailant was truck driver Idris Abdus-Salaam, aged 33, from Durham, North Carolina. Abdus-Salaam's driving log from his truck confirmed that he was driving between Kentucky and Illinois at the time of the attack. Abdus-Salaam had been already in and out of the store multiple times throughout that morning. Security cameras spotted him parking his truck, taking a shower, returning to his vehicle multiple times, loitering in throughout the station, and observing the stop on multiple occasions from a corner where he could get a full view of both main sections of building, while he was watching the staff serving the incoming early-morning influx of customers. These cameras also later captured much of the events of the attack itself. Although Abdus-Salaam was a Muslim, nothing was found to indicate that any religious motivation played a part in the attack. Police found during their investigation that during the lead up to the attack, Abdus-Salaam had left rambling journal writings and an internet history that suggested he was "paranoid", and "angry" - being described as "angry towards all people in general". They showed a recent preoccupation with the concept of religion, looking up the beliefs and prayer behaviors of multiple religions. They also showed a resentment toward law enforcement, as well as mentioning “demons”, and expressing how he felt “abandoned and mistreated” by society. Overall, investigators found the records fairly "random", with nothing to indicate any sort of radicalization. There was additionally no indication he had conspired with anyone else at any point before the attack. In the short term, his employment was believed to be a main trigger for the attack. By the time of the stabbing, Abdus-Salaam had been employed as a truck driver by Swift Transportation Inc. for about nine months. He had only started this job after he was forced to resign in May 2019 from his previous job, as a prison guard with the North Carolina Department of Safety. His resignation was mandated following a confrontation with a co-worker, for which Abdus-Salaam received a written reprimand. He made multiple attempts to get his job back, but all these were refused. He had recently been notified ten days before the attack that he had no chance of being rehired. It is believed that was a "tipping point" for the attack. In the days after the attack, Abdus-Salaam's mother stated the attack was completely out of character for her