At an off-campus coffee shop Monday, Ohio State University senior Mohamed Farah catches up on his homework.

“I didn’t get a lot of work done today just because there’s a lot going on,” he says. “I tried to stay away from the news, but I kept going back to it.”

Farah first learned of an attack on campus when security sent a text to the entire university: “Active shooter on campus: Run Hide Fight.”

But the attacker did not use a firearm. According to police, he drove a car into pedestrians, then got out and attacked people with a butcher knife. Eleven people were injured before police shot and killed the suspect.

Farah says at first he feared for the safety of his friends and fellow students. Then, as more details were confirmed, his fears turned inward.

“When I first heard that he was Somali, I mean my stomach did fall,” he says. “Not just because of what happened today, but because of what will happen tomorrow.”

Police identified the suspect as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, who The Associated Press says was a refugee from Somalia.

Farah, who is a Somali refugee and a Muslim, says attacks blamed on terrorism have a familiar aftermath on campus: snide comments, peering eyes and a feeling of uneasiness.

Looking through tweets, Farah says the negative ones from his fellow OSU students are the most painful, like one that says as a Somali refugee, Artan “bit the hand that fed him.”

“That one really, it shakes the core of you, you know,” Farah says.

At the moment little is known about Artan. Authorities believe he acted alone but they do not know the motives behind the attack. In August, the recent transfer student was interviewed by the school newspaper in a series called “Humans of OSU.” Artan said he didn’t feel comfortable praying on campus.

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