An 18-year-old Somalian student has been identified the attacker who left eleven people injured at the Ohio State University campus in the United States on Monday. Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove a car into a large group of people and stabbed others with a butcher’s knife, Reuters reported. Artan was later shot dead by a police officer on the scene.
US Congressman Adam Schiff said intelligence agencies were assisting with investigations into the incident. “It bears all the hallmarks of a terror attack carried out by someone who may have been self-radicalised,” he said. Another official said the agencies were investigating Artan’s background. However, the official said it was unclear if the Somalian student had ties to any militant groups.
US President Barack Obama was also briefed on the attack by his aides. Separately, a spokesperson for a Somalian group in Columbus, where the University is located, said the community was standing “shoulder-to-shoulder with our fellow Americans in condemning the sickening violence”.
The attack was originally reported by the University as being carried out by an “active shooter”. The campus’ management had tweeted the location of the reported gunman, and told students to “run, hide, fight”.
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