White House: Ohio State attack may have been terrorism

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Tuesday that the Ohio State University student who attacked several people with a knife on Monday “may have been motivated by extremism and may have been motivated by a desire to carry out an act of terrorism.”

After noting that the investigation into the attack and a possible motive is still ongoing, Earnest told reporters at the daily White House press briefing that “there is plenty of available evidence” to suggest that he may have been motivated by extremism.


Law enforcement officials have identified Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a Somali refugee, as the suspect in the attack, which has left several people injured. He was shot dead by a police officer shortly after he ran a car into a crowd on campus and stabbed several people.

On Tuesday, Earnest also praised first responders and emphasized the “critical role” law enforcement officers play in preventing acts of terrorism.

He also cautioned Americans not to "cast aspersions" on people of any one religion in response to the attack. Artan had previously discussed his experience as a Muslim in an interview with Ohio State's student newspaper.

The Islamic State militant group, through its official news agency, said on Tuesday that the perpetrator was one of its "soldiers," according to SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that monitors extremists. U.S. officials have not yet publicly confirmed any claims of responsibility.

"This is just the language they use for all ISIS-inspired attacks," SITE's Rita Katz told POLITICO, adding that the claim does not mean that the Islamic State was actually connected to it.

Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that Artan, in a Facebook post, railed against American interference in other countries, “especially the Muslim Ummah” -- the Arabic word for nation. “We are not weak. We are not weak, remember that," he added.

“If you want us Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks, then make peace,” he continued. “Every single Muslim who disapproves of my actions is a sleeper cell, waiting for a signal. I am warning you Oh America!”

President-elect Donald Trump has been uncharacteristically silent about the Ohio State attack, with his only comment being a Facebook post expressing sympathy for the victims.

But other Republicans have used the attack to highlight the problem of Islamic extremism.

“Let's review that [vetting] process and see what we can learn there, but the self-radicalization, it's a very difficult equation for law enforcement to tackle, it really is,” Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz said on Fox News Monday, adding, “There is no simple solution to that.”

But Chaffetz also expressed concerns about the potential for monitoring efforts to lead to an "invasion of privacy."

"I just don't think you can have or trust the government to come in and monitor everybody all the time in the name of security," he added. "That is not who we are as a nation.”

Before ISIS claimed responsibility, several top Republicans suggested that Artan may have ties to international terrorists.

“Tragically, the killing, or rather the knifings, at Ohio state resemble part of what we have in treason which does deal with international efforts by Islamic supremacists," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in an appearance on Fox News.

“It shows all the patterns of ISIS in the past several years, that we've seen individuals that are living within the Muslim community, that are, right before they carry out some act of violence, they post on their Facebook page or some sort of online media, a pledge of connection either to ISIS or Anwar al-Awlaki and carry out some act of violence that was not seen before," said Sen. James Lankford.

"We don't know a lot about the journey, what moved him a year ago to now but we do need to know more about so that we can see the signs better and so that we can engage the Muslim community better," Lankford added.

CNN contributor Jeffrey Lord, a fervent Trump supporter, tweeted Monday, "Somali refugee is Ohio State attacker? Shocker...not. @realDonaldTrump has called this refugee issue right from the start."