WASHINGTON: The Somali student who plowed his car into a crowd and slashed several people with a knife in Ohio had no known ties to terror groups, US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday.
But authorities said they believe Abdul Razak Ali Artan may have been inspired to carry out Monday's attack at Ohio State University by the Islamic State jihadist group and slain US-born Al-Qaeda recruiter Anwar al-Awlaki.
Although Artan professed support for radical Islamists on his Facebook page and an IS-linked news agency claimed he was an IS "soldier," Johnson said the probe hadnot revealed any direct communications between Artan and such groups.
"At this point we see no direct links to any terrorist organization," Johnson said.
"The indications are right now that this was an act of someone who was self-radicalized."
On Monday, the Somali immigrant, a new student on the massive campus in Ohio's state capital Columbus, injured 11 people before he was shot dead by a university security officer.
Officials have not declared the attack a terror attack, but on Tuesday, the IS-linked news agency Amaq said the rampage was inspired by IS calls to action.
"He carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of international coalition countries," Amaq quoted an insider source as saying, according to a translation by the SITE group that monitors extremists.
A Facebook page believed to belong to Artan -- and since taken offline -- included grievances against the United States.
"I can't take it any more. America! Stop interfering with other countries, especially the Muslim Ummah," he wrote, according to copies of the Facebook page saved by US media.
"If you want us Muslims to stop carrying (out) lone wolf attacks, then make peace," the post reads. "We will not let you sleep unless you give peace to the Muslims."
Artan also referred to Awlaki, a US-born Al-Qaeda recruiter killed in a US drone strike in Yemen, as a hero in the posting.
'Inspired' by Islamic State
Law enforcement officials investigating the attack cited Artan's social media comments as part of the reason they suspect he was influenced by jihadist ideology.
"It appears that Artan may have at least been inspired by Anwar al-Awlaki and the Islamic State, and we will continue to pursue this as part of this investigation," FBI Special Agent Angela Byers told a news conference Wednesday in Columbus.
She confirmed earlier US media reports that Artan arrived in the United States via Pakistan, but admitted investigators had some blanks to fill in, including Artan's movements immediately before the attack and whether he planned it.
"Right now, there's a lot of holes," said Michael Woods of the Columbus police department.
Authorities do not believe others were involved in the attack.
Investigators revealed that Artan had purchased a knife in the hours prior to the attack, and have traced some of his whereabouts thanks to security camera footage of his car, Woods said.
"It's that time in between the purchase and the arrival on campus that we want to fill in," he said.
Officials asked the public to contact law enforcement with any pertinent information.