At a White House press conference this afternoon, President Obama announced that one American was traveling on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 when it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile yesterday over eastern Ukraine. The American has been identified as Quinn Lucas Schansman.

Not much is known about him yet, but some are already speculating:

Obama also said the U.S. has "increasing confidence that [the missile] came from areas controlled by the separatists" in eastern Ukraine. When asked about Russia's role in the ongoing Ukrainian crisis, he responded, "What we do know is that the violence that's taking place there is facilitated in large part because of Russian support. And they have the ability to move those separatists in a different direction."

Earlier today, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power said the U.S. can't rule out Russia's involvement in the attack.

[Image via AP]