At the FBI’s Cincinnati office, an armed man tried to breach security : NPR
Liz Dufour / The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP
CINCINNATI – An armed man in body armor attempted to breach a security check at the FBI’s field office in Ohio on Thursday, then fled and was wounded in a gun exchange during a gun exchange. struggles with law enforcement, authorities said.
The confrontation that began at the FBI’s Cincinnati field office comes as officials warn of an increase in threats against federal agents in the following days. a search of the Mar-a-Lago estate of former President Donald Trump In Florida.
Federal officials said the man “tried to penetrate” the visitor screening area at the FBI office and fled when agents confronted him. He was pulled onto Interstate 71, and a shot was fired from his vehicle, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The suspect left the interstate and abandoned his vehicle on nearby roads, where he exchanged gunfire with police. The man had “unspecified injuries,” but no one else was injured, the patrol said. The shutdown is still ongoing as of mid-afternoon Thursday.
Officials in Ohio have locked doors to a one-mile radius near the interstate and urged residents and business owners to lock their doors and stay inside. Interstate has been reopened.
There have been increasing threats against FBI agents and offices across the country in recent days since federal agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago. On Gab, a social media site popular with white supremacists and dissidents, users warned that they were preparing for an armed revolution.
Federal officials have also monitored a series of other related conversations on Gab and other platforms threatening violence against federal agents. FBI Director Christopher Wray denounce threats when he visited another FBI office in Nebraska on Wednesday.
“Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with,” Wray said Wednesday in Omaha.
The FBI on Wednesday also warned its agents to avoid protesters and make sure their security keycards are “not visible outside of the FBI space,” citing an increase in cyber threats. social for employees and the premises of the office. It also warns agents to be aware of their surroundings and potential protesters.
The warning did not specifically mention the search of Mar-a-Lago this week but attributed the online threats to “recent media reporting on FBI investigative activity.”