A suspect is in custody after the FBI in Pittsburgh launched a search for the driver of a car that it alleged rammed into its city field office Wednesday in what officials have described as an "act of terror."
The suspect was identified earlier Wednesday as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, a township east of Pittsburgh. An FBI spokesperson confirmed Henson was taken into custody and was being held at the FBI Pittsburgh office.
Henson crashed into a vehicle entrance gate at the FBI Pittsburgh office at 2:40 a.m., then grabbed an American flag from the vehicle and threw it onto the gate before he fled, the FBI Pittsburgh office said. There were no injuries.
“This incident is considered a targeted attack against the FBI,” it said.
Images from the scene obtained by NBC affiliate WPXI of Pittsburgh showed a white Toyota Corolla that had apparently driven into a metal fence. Video from the scene also showed officers pulling a black bag out of the trunk using a winch.
A message appeared to be written on the side of the car, which was to be examined by a bomb squad, said the FBI’s assistant special agent in charge in Pittsburgh, Christopher Giordano. The car’s doors and trunk were all open, according to images from the scene, and the metal fence was visibly slanted after the impact.
“We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI," Giordano said before Henson was arrested.
Henson has a documented history of mental health issues, multiple federal law enforcement officials told NBC News. He was unarmed, the FBI said.
The head of FBI Pittsburgh said that while the office considers the act terrorism as the FBI was directly targeted, it is likely that Henson will not be charged with terrorism.
