In a case that is still developing, an armed man attempted to break into the FBI office in Cincinnati, escaped and died and later passed away during a rural standoff with agents on Thursday. In light of increased social media threats to its personnel and facilities, the FBI is advising agents to take additional precautions.

After being discovered, he opened fire as a state trooper pursued him along Interstate 71, according to Lt. Nathan Dennis of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

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Eventually, Dennis said, the suspect exited his vehicle on a country road, engaged the police in gunfire, and was wounded. Nobody else was harmed.

In the days following a search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, threats against federal agents have grown, according to officials.

After unsuccessful attempts at negotiation and the use of unnamed “less lethal tactics,” the suspect was shot when he raised his gun toward the officers, according to Dennis. Man passed away there and then.

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Regarding whether the suspect communicated with police during the standoff, Dennis said he was unable to comment on Thursday.

According to a law enforcement official briefed on the situation, the man is thought to have been in Washington in the days preceding the January 6, 2021 uprising and may have been present at the Capitol on the day of the attack. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he could not publicly discuss investigation specifics.

The law enforcement officer said that the suspect’s name was Ricky Shiffer, 42, as per AP. According to the official, he was not charged with any crimes in relation to the attack on January 6. According to the official, federal investigators are looking into Shiffer’s potential connections to far-right extremist organisations like the Proud Boys.

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After federal agents carried out a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, threats against FBI employees and offices across the nation have increased recently. On the social media platform Gab, which is favoured by white nationalists and antisemites, users have warned that they are getting ready for an armed uprising.

Federal officials have also been monitoring a slew of other concerning chatter on Gab and other platforms threatening federal agents with violence. On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray condemned the threats while visiting another FBI office in Nebraska. “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with,”  Wray said in Omaha on Wednesday.

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The FBI also warned its agents on Wednesday to avoid potential protesters and to keep their security key cards “not visible outside FBI space,” citing an increase in social media threats to bureau personnel and facilities.

The warning did not specifically mention this week’s Mar-a-Lago search, but instead blamed the online threats on “recent media reporting on FBI investigative activity.”