Isn't it "don't jump to conclusions" time?

In the wake of the horrific knife attack at Ohio State University, it is somewhat surprising to see a story headlined "The Hand of ISIS at OSU" in the New Yorker.

Middle East expert Robin Wright includes the pro forma disclaimer that the motives of Abdul Razak Ali Artan, the Somali immigrant student who went on a knife rampage on the Ohio campus, are yet to be determined, but she doesn't flinch from the virtual certainty of the hand of ISIS.

Wright's lead is not for kiddies:   

The Islamic State’s slick online magazine Rumiyah released a special issue on knife attacks last month. The cover illustration was of a blood-drenched blade. “When considering a just terror operation, an ocean of thoughts might pour into one’s mind, clouding the ability to make a final decision,” the authors of the feature article wrote. “Many people are often squeamish at the thought of plunging a sharp object into another person’s flesh. It is a discomfort caused by the untamed, inherent dislike for pain and death, especially after ‘modernization’ distanced males from partaking in the slaughtering of livestock for food and striking the enemy in war.”

She ties the OSU attack to other recent attacks:

The violence in Ohio follows a similar stabbing attack in September, when a young Somali immigrant named Dahir Adan knifed ten people at a shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The ISIS news agency subsequently claimed that Adan was a “soldier of the Islamic State,” acting on the organization’s “calls to target citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition.” Both Minnesota and Ohio have significant communities of Somali refugees.

Last month, Rumiyah reminded followers of ISIS that throughout history generations of holy warriors, in the name of God, had “struck the necks of the kuffar”—meaning unbelievers—“with their swords, severing limbs and piercing the fleshy meat of those who opposed Islam.” It advised that knives are easily available, easy to conceal, and highly lethal, especially in environments where Muslims might be under suspicion and closely watched.

In voluminous detail, Rumiyah—which means “Rome,” an allusion to an old prophecy foretelling the fall of the infidel West—offered advice on the types of blades that are most deadly and the places on the body that are most vulnerable. It warned against using kitchen knives, which can’t handle the “vigorous application used for assassinations.” It noted, “The more gruesome the attack, the closer one comes to achieving the desired objective,” but cautioned against trying to “fully detach the head,” since the “absence of technique can cause a person to spend a long time attempting to do so.”

In light of the Wright story, there is gallows humor in this line in a Yahoo news report on the attack:

Police have given no motive for the attack on the Columbus campus.

The Yahoo story, however, did contain some information on Artan's background:

Artan, who was born in Somalia, arrived in the United States in 2014, said a federal official, who also asked not to be identified. Ohio State University Police Chief Craig Stone said Artan was 20 years old.

Investigators believe Artan may have lived for as long as seven years in Pakistan, said the federal official, who declined to be named because of the ongoing investigation. Somali refugees often spend some time in Pakistan before coming to the United States, another official said.

Investigators were trying to assemble a full picture of Artan's associates and recent activities, according to federal officials.

Hmmm. Wouldn't the time to investigate Artan's associates have been before he was allowed permanent resident status in the United States?

David French refects.