OSU Attack Suspect Identified as Abdul Razak Ali Artan: Officials

The Lantern/Twitter (COLUMBUS, Ohio) — The man suspected in an attack at Ohio State University Monday has been identified as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, according to law enforcement officials.

The officials confirmed Artan’s identity as authorities conducted a search of an address in Columbus, Ohio, that was associated with Artan in public records.

School officials said Monday morning’s attack on the OSU campus began when the assailant drove a vehicle into several people, then exited the vehicle and began slashing at them with a knife.

A police officer near the scene responded almost immediately, shooting and killing the attacker within about a minute of the beginning of the attack. Several of the knife attack victims have been treated at nearby hospitals and are expected to survive.

Sources told ABC News that the man is of Somali descent and is a legal permanent resident in the United States. Sources said authorities believe they have found at least one posting from the attacker on Facebook, with one source saying information being collected indicates he made what was described as a “declaration” on Facebook expressing some sort of grievances over attacks on Muslims.

Just three months ago an OSU student named Abdul Razak Artan was quoted in OSU’s college newspaper, The Lantern, as he discussed his troubles finding a place to pray on his new campus.

“I wanted to pray in the open, but I was kind of scared with everything going on in the media. I’m a Muslim, it’s not what the media portrays me to be,” he is quoted in the paper as saying. “If people look at me, a Muslim praying, I don’t know what they’re going to think, what’s going to happen. But I don’t blame them. It’s the media that put that picture in their heads, so they’re just going to have it, and it — it’s going to make them feel uncomfortable.”

In The Lantern, Artan said he is a transfer from Columbus State, presumably Columbus State Community College. Online records from that school said he graduated from there in May with an associate of arts degree.

Asked about Artan, the vice president of marketing and communications at Columbus State told ABC News in a statement, “Abdul Razak Ali Artan was enrolled at Columbus State Community College from autumn semester 2014 through summer semester 2016. He graduated with an associate of arts degree in spring of 2016 and then continued taking additional noncredit classes through summer semester 2016.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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