Abdul Razak Ali Artan was an 18-year-old Muslim student and refugee from Somalia attending Ohio State University. He graduated from Columbus State Community College in 2016 with an Associate of Arts degree. Over the past few years, Razak had posted a lot of his opinions on social media, including his thoughts of the way Muslims, like himself, are being portrayed by the people of the United States in today’s society.
“I am sick and tired of seeing [Muslims] killed and tortured EVERYWHERE… I can’t take it anymore. America! Stop interfering with other countries, especially the Muslim Ummah. We are not weak. We are not weak, remember that.” Razak stated on a Facebook post he put up months ago.
He would rant about how he was “not what the media portrays me to be” and how he was afraid to pray in public in fear that he would be harassed. He said that he needed to pray up to five times a day and could never find a place to do it.
On Nov. 28, at about 9:50 a.m., Razak drove his car into a group of students, eventually crashing and exiting the vehicle. He got out and began slashing students and faculty members with a butcher knife, injuring 11 people. Nobody was killed.
Razak was shot and killed by campus officer Alan Horujko, responding within a minute of the incident being reported. Horujko graduated from OSU in 2012 and has been with the OSU Police Department since January of 2015, and is now being credited as a hero because of his actions.
Parents and students attending OSU showed their gratitude as lots of people showed their appreciation on social media. Many are thankful that he arrived and acted as quickly as he did, so no one else got injured.
It remains to be seen if attacks like these will continue in the United States, but, there is no telling when or where another will take place.