Armed gunman ‘contained’ after trying to breach FBI’s Cincinnati office; lockdown continues

An armed man in body armor has been “contained” after trying to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati office on Thursday, authorities said.

The suspect attempted to breach the visitor screening facility at around 9 a.m. at the bureau’s field office in Cincinnati, the FBI said in a tweet. After an alarm went off and special agents responded, the suspect fled north onto Interstate 71.

The suspect was armed with a nail gun and AR-15, law enforcement sources told NBC and CNN.

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers pursued the suspect, who was wearing body armor and a gray shirt as he fled in a Crown Victoria, said Thomas Breckle, director of Clinton County Emergency Management Agency. Officers traded gunfire with the suspect as he drove away, Breckle said.

The suspect was “contained” by law enforcement Thursday afternoon but had not yet been taken into custody, Clinton County EMA announced in a Facebook statement.

Parts of the interstate were shut down during the standoff with police, officials said. No injuries were immediately reported in the incident.

Clinton County Emergency Management issued a lockdown for all buildings within a one-mile radius of the area and instructed residents and business-owners to lock their doors and remain inside.

The incident came a day after the FBI director warned against threats circulating online against agents and the Justice Department in the wake of the agency’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.

“Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday in Omaha.

On Wednesday, the FBI cited increased social media threats when warning agents to avoid protesters and ensure their security key cards are not visible outside FBI spaces.