A law enforcement official says a gunman who died in a shootout after trying to get inside the FBI’s Cincinnati office appeared to have posted calls on social media for FBI agents to be killed and for people to take up arms in the wake of the search at Donald Trump’s home.
Ohio law enforcement officials confirmed a male subject is engaged in a standoff with officers after attempting to gain entry into the FBI Cincinnati Field Office Thursday morning. The unidentified male subject fled the scene after failing to gain entry and engaged officers in a pursuit.
Another posted on the same site earlier this week from @rickywshifferjr included a "call to arms" and urged people to "be ready for combat" after the search. He was later spotted by a state trooper along a highway and got into a gunbattle that ended with police killing him, authorities said. Shiffer is believed to have been in Washington in the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and may have been at the Capitol that day but was not charged with any crimes in connection with the riot, the official said.
The FBI on Wednesday also warned its agents to avoid protesters and ensure their security key cards are "not visible outside FBI space," citing an increase in social media threats against bureau personnel and offices.