Official: Ohio attacker was angry about treatment of Muslims

Image
AP Columbus
Last Updated : Nov 29 2016 | 11:32 PM IST
The Somali-born student who carried out a car-and-knife attack at Ohio State University complained on his Facebook account about US interference in countries with Muslim communities, a law enforcement official said.
Abdul Razak Ali Artan warned about Muslims he described as belonging to "a sleeper cell, waiting for a signal."
He said that if the US wanted "Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks, then make peace with 'dawla in al sham,'" a term for the Islamic State group, according to the law enforcement official, who was briefed on the investigation but wasn't authorised to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Artan specifically protested the killing of Muslims in Burma, where a UN official last week said a Muslim minority group was suffering violence tantamount to ethnic cleansing at the state's hands.
Investigators are looking into whether the attack that injured 11 people yesterday was an act of terror. Dozens of FBI agents began searching Artan's apartment.
Artan drove a car up onto a sidewalk and plowed his car into a group of pedestrians shortly before 10 am He then got out and began stabbing people with a butcher knife before he was shot to death by a campus police officer.
Most of the victims were hurt by the car, and two had been stabbed, officials said. One had a fractured skull. Four remained hospitalised today.
Artan was born in Somalia and was a legal permanent US resident, according to a US official who was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A US government official said Artan came to the United States in 2014 as the child of a refugee. He had been living in Pakistan from 2007 to 2014.
It is not uncommon for refugees to go to a third-party country before being permanently resettled.
Classes at the 60,000-student university were canceled after the attack but resumed today. The school planned a vigil for today night.
Students said they were nervous about returning and planned to take precautions such as not walking alone.
"It's kind of nerve-wracking going back to class right after it," said Kaitlin Conner, 18, of Cleveland, who said she had a midterm exam to take.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 29 2016 | 11:32 PM IST

Next Story