By Noora Mykkanen
Copyright metro
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A manhunt has been launched after a suspected ‘targeted attack’ on the FBI building in Pennsylvania.
FBI agents surrounded a car after the driver rammed it into the metal gates at the law enforcement agency’s Pittsburgh office in the early hours of the morning today.
Christopher Giordano, the FBI’s Pittsburgh assistant special agent, claimed the male suspect grabbed a US flag from the vehicle and threw it over the gate after crashing.
He told CBS: ‘We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI.
The car didn’t breach the FBI Building’s security gate (Picture: WTAE-TV Pittsburgh)
‘This was a targeted attack on this building.’
The agents found a message scribbled on one of the car windows, CBS News reports.
Footage from the scene shows a white Toyota with its hazard lights on in front of the partially collapsed gate, with the American flag hanging off it.
No injuries were reported following the incident.
A flag hanging off the metal gate at the Pittsburgh FBI office after the incident (Picture: WTAE-TV Pittsburgh)
The suspect, who the FBI identified as Donald Henson, from Penn Hills, fled the scene on foot after a vehicle crashed into the security gate, sparking a large-scale search for him.
Giordano said he is wanted in connection with a federal offence and ‘we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.’
The suspect fled the scene after crashing at about 2.40am local time, and he is believed to be dangerous.
The FBI said it is unclear whether Henson was armed. He is believed to have a history of mental health issues, according to the FBI.
A picture of the suspect, who fled the scene (Picture: FBI)
A bomb squad was alerted to the scene to investigate the vehicle.
The FBI believes Henson may have visited the Pittsburgh office area some weeks ago ‘to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,’ Giordano said.
He told CBS: ‘In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Agents swarmed the car after it smashed into the gate, but the suspect had already fled (Picture: WTAE-TV Pittsburgh)
‘We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn’t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn’t a federal offense that we were able to charge.’
The number of FBI employees at the Pittsburgh building has not been publicly disclosed, but the federal law enforcement agency has more than 37,000 employees across the US.
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