This is a developing story… Please check back for possible updates...
A gunman in body armor who tried to breach a Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Ohio on Thursday is cornered by law enforcement in nearby farmland after a police chase, according to authorities.
The suspect's identity and potential motivations for the attack have not been made public. However, the attack comes amid fears of right-wing retaliation for the FBI's on Monday executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, former U.S. President Donald Trump's Florida residence.
"At approximately 9:15 EST, the FBI Cincinnati Field Office had an armed subject attempt to breach the visitor screening facility," the bureau said in a statement. "Upon the activation of an alarm and a response by armed FBI special agents, the subject fled northbound onto Interstate 71."
"The FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement partners are on scene near Wilmington, Ohio, trying to resolve this critical incident," the bureau added.
The New York Times reported that Lt. Nathan Dennis of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said a trooper spotted the gunman at a rest stop, which led to a chase in Clinton County that shut down roads.
The patrol also said that the suspect abandoned his vehicle on rural roads, then was injured while exchanging gunfire with police, according to The Associated Press.
Reporting for the Times from Wilmington, Kevin Williams said that helicopters and drones "are circling the cornfield where law enforcement says the suspect is cornered," and "additional armored police vehicles are heading toward the spot."
Rob Thompson, whose family has farmed 4,000 acres in the area for three generations, told Williams that "he could be in the cornfield or a thicket of trees nearby, but they have him contained."
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community and was authored by Jessica Corbett.