Is the OSU Attack Terror Related?

Authorities have identified the Ohio State University attacker and now there are questions if the attack could be an act of terrorism.

The suspect who was shot and killed is Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a first-year student at OSU.

At least nine people were hurt after Monday's attack, and one person is in critical condition. 

Columbus police said the suspect purposely drove his vehicle over a curb and struck pedestrians.  He then exited his vehicle with a butcher's knife and proceeded to cut several people.

MSNBC reports that the suspect, a Somali refugee, was in fact a student at the university. Artan fled Somalia with his family in 2007 before first landing in Pakistan. It was not until 2014 that he came to the United States where he obtained legal, permanent status. 

An OSU police officer shot and killed the him.

"A suspect has been shot and reported deceased," the university said. "Victim injuries include stab wounds, injury by motor vehicle and other injuries that are being evaluated."

It is still too early to say whether or not this was a terror plot, but Craig Stone, chief of the Ohio State University Police say "this was done on purpose."

Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have called on Muslims to wage jihad, encouraging followers to use their cars and kitchen knives as weapons. For many, Monday's attack was all too similar to the ISIS attack on Nice, France in July. During that terror attack a radical Muslim used his car to plow down and kill crowds of people. 

Artan, a vocal Muslim, was well known for criticizing the school for not having Muslim prayer rooms - including a letter to the school paper a few months ago.

"I wanted to pray in the open, but I was kind of scared with everything going on in the media," he stated. "I'm a Muslim, it's not what the media portrays me to be."

"I don't blame them," he continued. "It's the media that put that picture in their heads so they're just going to have it, and it's going to make them feel uncomfortable."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich sent his thoughts and prayers to the Ohio State University family after reports of the attack.

"Ohio's thoughts and prayers go out to the Ohio State community," Kasich tweeted.  "Be safe; listen to first responders."

Ohio Governor John R. Kasich issued the following statement in response to the attack this morning at The Ohio State University: pic.twitter.com/I3KS2b5dMB

— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) November 28, 2016

At 11:30 a.m. the university lifted the shelter in place, but cancelled classes for the rest of the day.  It's still unclear whether police are searching for more suspects. 

UPDATE 1/2 : Shelter in Place lifted. Scene is now secure. ALL classes are canceled on Columbus campus for the remainder of the day.

— OSU Emergency Mngmnt (@OSU_EMFP) November 28, 2016

Just before 10 a.m., the university's emergency management department tweeted "Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College." Watts Hall is a materials science and engineering building.
  
"Run, hide, fight" is standard protocol for active shooter situations. It means: Run, evacuate if possible; Hide, get silently out of view; or Fight, as a last resort, take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter if your life is in imminent danger.
  
The university followed up with another tweet: "Continue to shelter in place in north campus area. Follow directions of Police on scene."  

A sophomore told CNN he heard gunfire from a building across the street.

"My roommate and I heard about three or four gunshots from across the street, and soon after we heard a bunch of police and ambulances pull up across the street," the 19-year-old said. "We can't see the building where the shooting happened because of a dorm blocking our view. It truly sounded like gunshots, and really soon after we heard a bunch of sirens. We can see the police cars from our dorm."

A number of students barricaded themselves in classrooms. School administrators urged them to follow instructions on social media for updates.  

"I'm safe in a barricaded room," Harrison Roth tweeted.  "If you're on campus," get in a room and stay safe."

— Harrison Roth (@goisles29) November 28, 2016

Police are investigating the incident. The Daily Mail reports that two men have been taken into custody.

With nearly 60,000 students at its main Columbus campus, Ohio State is one of the nation's largest universities.