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| The exterior logo of the FBI building is seen in Washington on August 9, 2022 (File photo: AFP) |
American media, citing sources, have identified the dead man as 42-year-old Ricky Shafer. A person with the same name warned about the attack on former President Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social.
The authorities of the city of Cincinnati in the US state of Ohio have said that the police have shot and killed a man who tried to break into the office of the Federal Investigation Agency (FBI).
the incident occurred early Thursday morning when the suspect unsuccessfully tried to enter the FBI's visitor screening building.
He then fled the area in a white vehicle heading north on Interstate 71, the FBI said.
A chase ensued and the suspect fired his weapon at a trooper, Ohio State Highway Patrol spokesman Nathan Dennis said at a news briefing.
The vehicle eventually stopped in Clinton County and the suspect and police exchanged gunfire, the gunfire continued for a long time, and the suspect was shot and killed six hours after his initial attack, he said.
Nathan Dennis said: 'All day today law enforcement officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect. After a while, the negotiations failed.
He said: 'The suspect then pointed a firearm at the law enforcement agencies and the law enforcement officers on the scene opened fire, killing the suspect at the scene and no police officers were injured.
Police have not yet released the suspect's identity and did not comment on the man's motive during a news briefing.
The American newspaper New York Times and Channel NBC News, citing unnamed sources, have identified the dead man as 42-year-old Ricky Shafer.
A person with the same name warned about the attack on Truth Social, a social media platform created by former President Donald Trump.
The message said: 'If you don't hear anything from me, it must be true that I tried to attack the FBI and that means either I'm removed from the internet. Either the FBI caught me or they sent the regular cops.'
However, this and similar posts were removed soon after police told reporters that the Cincinnati suspect had been killed.
The suspect was in the Capitol Hill building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, during the attack by Trump supporters, NBC News said, citing two officials familiar with the matter, without naming them.
The New York Times, citing two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter, reported that investigators were looking into whether the man had ties to extremist groups.
Some of Trump's supporters seem against the agency because of the former US president's problems with the FBI. Those issues include Russian support for the 2016 presidential campaign and Monday's court-ordered raid on his Florida home.
Ever since FBI agents searched Donald Trump's home in Florida, the FBI has been receiving threats online.
FBI Director Christopher Roy issued a statement after Thursday's events, condemning the "baseless attacks on the integrity of the FBI."
"Violence and threats against law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are dangerous and troubling for all Americans," he said.
Request to release details of search of Trump's home
US Attorney General Merrick Garland says he 'personally approved' the dramatic raid on Donald Trump's Florida home.
At the same time, taking a very unusual step, they are seeking permission to make public the warrants issued for the raid.
The warrant request means the American public will soon learn more about what investigators were looking for when they searched the former president's home.
In his statement on Thursday, Merrick Garland did not reveal the reason for the search of the former US president's home, but he condemned the "baseless political attacks" by Trump supporters on the FBI and Justice Department.
Donald Trump portrayed the government's search as a political vendetta.
According to some observers, the US Department of Justice's move was part of an investigation into whether or not there was a possible classification of presidential records illegally removed from the White House when Trump left office in January 2021.
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| Donald Trump described the government's search as a political vendetta (File photo: getty images). |
In his first public statement since Monday's raid, Merrick Garland told reporters: "I personally approved the decision to obtain a search warrant," according to the AFP news agency. The department takes such a decision seriously and tries to publicize the receipt of seized goods as well.
Merrick Garland said ethical obligations prevented him from releasing details of the raid, and later the request was made because Trump had publicly confirmed the search and there was "substantial public curiosity" in the matter.
The decision to publicly confirm the search was highly unusual. U.S. law enforcement officials typically do not discuss such investigations because of civil rights concerns.
Former US President Trump has a copy of the search warrant but so far he too has not revealed the contents of it.
Trump has until 3 p.m. Friday to contest the petition filed by Merrick Garland. The case is before U.S. Magistrate Bruce Reinhart, who reviewed the warrant to ensure the Justice Department had probable cause for the search.
In his statement on Donald Trump's personal social media platform 'Truth Social Network', Trump said, "My lawyers and representatives have fully cooperated (with the searchers). Whatever the US government wanted to find, if we had it, it would have found it.
Some analysts say Merrick Garland is doing well to counter Trump's charge that the raid was baseless and political.
Andrew Weisman, a former Justice Department official, said Merrick Garland made a good political move by blaming former President Trump for objecting to or consenting to the release of the warrant document.
According to President Trump's representatives, the FBI was searching for presidential records and related important materials and there was no dispute, while according to US media, the search was taken with former President Trump after he left the White House in January 2021. It was regarding the possible misuse of classified documents.
"Secret Documents on Nuclear Weapons"
On Thursday, The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources familiar with the investigation, said documents sought by FBI agents during the raid included classified documents related to nuclear weapons.
The newspaper did not specify whether the nuclear weapons involved were from the United States or another country, nor was it clear whether such documents were recovered from the former president's Palm Beach resort. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
According to 'sources' familiar with the matter, the FBI recovered about 10 boxes from Trump's property during the search, even though Trump was not in Florida at the time of the search.
Two of Trump's attorneys, Evan Korn and John Rowley, did not respond to requests for comment for this report.
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