Man rams vehicle into FBI Pittsburgh gate, flees on foot

A man drove his car into FBI gates in Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh field office in the early hours of Wednesday.

“At approximately 2.40 am, an individual driving a white sedan proceeded to ram one of the vehicle entrance gates at FBI Pittsburgh,” said the FBI. 

“This individual exited the vehicle, removed an American flag from the backseat, and threw it onto the damaged gate. The individual then left the scene on foot,” the statement read.

The driver was later identified as Donald Henson of Penn Hills, Pennsylvania.

No injuries were reported, and the FBI later asked the public to avoid the suspect and report any sightings by calling 911, FBI tip line, or at the FBI website.

The FBI has not disclosed further details but said the investigation is ongoing.

Ex-FBI officials file lawsuit 

In an unrelated development, three former FBI officials who were dismissed in August filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration last week, alleging that it launched a ‘campaign of retribution’ targeting FBI officials who showed insufficient loyalty to US President Donald Trump, and unlawfully fired them for political reasons.  

Defendants include the FBI and FBI Director Kash Patel, the Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Executive Office of the President, and the federal government.

Defendants initiated “a campaign of retribution” against the three for what defendants deemed to be “a failure to demonstrate sufficient political loyalty”, the complaint said. Plaintiffs were the targets of defendants’ retribution for “their refusals to politicise the FBI”.

On August 8, the FBI director fired the three officials with “cursory, single-page letters sent to each Plaintiff”, which “violated federal law and the Constitution”, according to the complaint. The complaint also noted that the three former FBI officers have served the country for decades, reports Xinhua news agency.

The FBI has conducted multiple investigations involving Trump, including whether Russia influenced the 2016 election in President Trump’s favour, the investigation related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and the 2022 Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation.

Trump has repeatedly accused the Justice Department and the FBI of conducting these investigations with political motives and unfairly targeting him. In public statements, interviews and social media posts, Trump has often described these investigations as a ‘witch hunt’.