The young man had been noticed to be disturbed and had been referred to counseling. Dr. Ismail Ak is an expert and author in the particular field most directly related to the guy's disorder.
So it's possible that the writing on the guy's arm said, ISMAIL AK, and the K was written in a way that people *thought* it said, ISMAIL AX. That seems more likely to me than a connection to Moby Dick or to Islamic terrorism.
(See my other posts on this line of inquiry: 210, 214, 225)
A bright young man might be looking into the latest work in a disorder he may have been diagnosed with ...