ISIS claims credit for the Ohio State University attack

The posts from Abdul Razak Ali Artan’s account came to light after Monday’s violence, which left 11 people injured.

The Amaq news agency on November 29 quoted what it said was an Islamic State (IS) “source” as saying the November 28 attack at Ohio State University was carried out “in response to calls to target citizens of global coalition countries”. Eleven people were transported to local hospitals, officials said.

According to Special Agent Angela Byers of the FBI’s Cincinnati division, confirmed rumors that Abdul Razak Ali Artan “may have been inspired by ISIS” before he stabbed 11 people at the Columbus campus on Monday.

A motive was not immediately known, but police said they were investigating whether it was a terrorist attack.

Jack Ouham, owner of a market near the home on the outskirts of Columbus where Artan lived with his parents and siblings, saw him nearly every day when he stopped in for snacks but never alcohol or cigarettes. Police received a report Monday that a male driver purposely jumped a curb and into pedestrians. 911: “Fire department.” Caller: “This is OSU”.

“We can prove to you that the suspect was by himself in the vehicle and committed this act by himself today”. The Muslim student then exited his vehicle and began chasing and slashing the crowd with a large edged weapon described as either a butcher knife or a machete. Dispatch: “Be advised. We got a man with a knife running around, ah, cutting people”. Students learned quickly and took action – some barricading inside classrooms. “I didn’t see anything in particular, just lots of running individuals, trying to understand what happened and get away from whatever danger was around them”.

University President Michael Drake said he called officer Alan Horujko, 28, “to thank him for following his training and being able to neutralize the circumstances within roughly one minute”.

Most of the victims were hurt by the auto, and two had been stabbed, officials said.

One victim remained hospitalized on Tuesday at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief medical officer at the facility, said at a news conference.

Artan transferred to Ohio State after graduating cum laude with an Associate of Arts degree from nearby Columbus State Community College, officials with the two-year school confirmed. The group has often claimed attacks after they’ve happened, based on people who acted alone or in the name of Islamic State.

Investigators were looking into a message posted on Facebook by Artan that contained inflammatory statements about being “sick and tired” of seeing Muslims killed and reaching a “boiling point”, a law enforcement source said.

According to the law enforcement officials, Artan was born and brought up in Somalia.

He railed against USA intervention in Muslim lands and warned, “If you want us Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks, then make peace” with the Islamic State group. The ABC7 I-Team reported in October that ISIS was urging followers to stage knife attacks in public places. ISIS has previously taken claim for attacks that it had no planning nor part in.

“There’s a guy, crashed his auto into a bunch of people and ran out with a knife chasing down people”, another said.

IS also had released a video on November 27 encouraging knife attacks on non-Muslims in the West.