He was Somali, but not an immigrant - the product of a Muslim Somali married to an American, who may have been Hispanic but was not Muslim. Aranda was the mother’s name, which he took legally later on, but his original name was a purely Somali one.
That said, I have no idea how he was brought up or whether he had any Islamic connections. I’d say he was just a loser influenced by imaginary grievances and he thought throwing a little white child over the balcony would show the world how aggrieved he was. (For what? US govt support for his entire family for years?) He got 19 years, so he was obviously not considered insane.
I think he should have gotten more but at least he got something, since this is Minnesota, where it’s surprising that they didn’t give him a medal.
Not a Somali. Born with the surname Aranda.