ISIS claims Ohio State University assailant as its 'soldier'

The Islamic State claimed that the man who carried out the attack at the Ohio State University (OSU) on Tuesday was one of its "soldiers."

Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a Somali-born 18-year-old student at OSU, drove his car into pedestrians and slashed people with a knife before he was shot dead by a police officer. Eleven people were injured in the attack, The New York Times reported.

There is no immediate evidence to indicate that Artan had pledged allegiance to any terrorist group, but ISIS has released a statement on its news wire declaring him as its "soldier."

"The executor of the attack in the American state of Ohio is a soldier of the Islamic State," the terrorist group was quoted as saying, according to the translation provided by the SITE intelligence group.

"He carried out the operation in response to calls to target citizens of international coalition countries," the statement continued.

The Daily Mail reported last week that ISIS released a 14-minute video that called for attacks in the U.S., U.K., and France. The clip included instructions on how to kill "disbelievers."

Before Artan carried out the attack, he posted a message on social media stating that if the U.S. wants "Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks, then make peace with 'dawla in al sham.'"

"Every single Muslim who disapproves of my actions is a sleeper cell, waiting for a signal. I am warning you Oh America," Artan wrote in the same post.

Federal law enforcement said that Artan lived in Pakistan for seven years before he came to the U.S. with his mother. He lived in a townhouse apartment in Columbus with his mother, several siblings, and possibly other family members.

Joe Brickner, a neighbor, said that there was nothing unusual about the family.

"They just seemed like a normal family. They always parked right here, that's the only thing weird about them," said Brickner pointing to a fire hydrant.

Leaders of the local mosques and Somali community groups said that they are not familiar with Artan or his family.