Standoff with police continues
Ohio police are locked in a standoff in a cornfield with an armed man who allegedly threatened an FBI office in Cincinnati.
The suspect reported fired a nail gun and brandished an AR-15-style rifle at FBI agents then fled in his car.
Law enforcement reportedly has the individual surrounded in a cornfield, where he has allegedly aimed a pistol at police.
The alleged gunman has been described as bald and wearing sunglasses.
The standoff termporarily shut down traffic on I-71, a major highway.
The incident comes as numerous prominent conservatives have trained their ire at the FBI, after the agency carried out a search at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida as part of an investigation into the mishandling of White House documents.
Witness describes watching FBI chase armed assailant
Farmer Rob Thompson was stunned this morning as a blazing police chase sped past his farm in Wilmington, Ohio.
“I thought, since we are by the interstate, that they were just chasing a speeder,” Mr Thompson told The New York Times.
But it was far from just a speeder. Instead, officers are still in pursuit of an armed man who allegedly threatened an FBI office in Cincinnati this morning.
The farmer said he wasn’t worried for his safety.
“He could be in the cornfield or a thicket of trees nearby, but they have him contained,” he continued.
Die-hard Trump fans claim Ohio FBI shootout is a ‘false flag’ attack
Well, that didn’t take long.
The diehard Donald Trump fans on r/TheDonald, a popular (and often NSFW) Reddit page, are claiming that the armed threats against an FBI field office in Ohio today were “staged.”
As NBC News reporter Ben Collins reports, nearly “every top post” on the page at the moment has some version of the conspiracy theory.
Speculation about the FBI has been flying in conservative circles since the Justice Department raid on Donald Trump earlier this week.

Trumpworld informant reportedly told FBI about classified docs at Mar-a-Lago
The search of former president’s Florida residence comes after a FBI source reportedly revealed that the ex-president was concealing classified national defence information from the government he once led
Ex-FBI official fears Ohio attack could act as a rallying cry for ‘other unhinged’ people
An assault on the FBI’s Cincinnati headquarters could act as a rallying cry for other “unhinged” people to launch copycat attacks, a former top agent has warned.
Authorities said a man armed with an assault rifle and wearing body armour tried to breach the Ohio field office on Thursday, before sparking a stand-off after fleeing towards a highway.
Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe told CNN on Thursday it was “coincidental” that the attack on an FBI field office came so soon after the search warrant was executed on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property.
Mr McCabe said the attacks endangered lives and called on Justice Department leaders to address the “overheated rhetoric … that has literally created the threat towards members of the department”.
Bevan Hurley has the story for The Independent.

Ex-FBI official fears Ohio attack could act as a rallying cry for ‘unhinged’ people
Republicans and rightwing commentators accused of stoking violence and endangering lives as armed man attacks FBI office in Ohio
Suspect was driving Ford Crown Victor and fired gunshot
The Ohio State Police came close to nabbing the individual who allegedly threatened an FBI office in Cincinnati today.
State troopers located the individual’s vehicle, a Ford Crown Victoria, near a rest area on Interstate 71 at approximately 9.37am, the agency said on Thursday.
Upon seeing officers, “the suspect fled and a pursuit ensued.”
As troopers chased the man, a suspected gun shot was fired inside the car.
Eventually, the alleged assailant ditched his car and ran into a cornfield near Wilmington, Ohio, exchanging gunfire with officers and sustaining unknown injuries.
WATCH: Ohio officials provide update on armed standoff
Ohio officials are engaged in an ongoing standoff with an individual who allegedly threatened an FBI field office in Cincinnati this morning.
Here’s their latest update.
Merrick Garland speaking in Washington
Attorney General Merrick Garland is now speaking in Washington, DC.
He’s expected to mostly address the recent search at Donald Trump’s Florida residence, but we’ll keep an eye out for any updates on the Ohio standoff.
Traffic on I-71 back open as suspect ‘contained’ in cornfield: officials
The armed man suspected of threatening an Ohio FBI office is still hiding out in a cornfield, according to local officials.
The Clinton County Emergency Management Agency said on Thursday afternoon that the “suspect has not yet been taking into custody, but is contained,” after numerous law enforcement officers surrounded the field.
Traffic on I-71, temporarily shut down for security reasons, is now back open in both directions.
Will Merrick Garland address Ohio FBI standoff?
Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to offer remarks today about the recent FBI raid at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Florida.
The top Justice Department official may also offer new information about the ongoing standoff in Ohio involving a man who allegedly threatened an FBI field office in Cincinnati.
Eric Garcia has more on what to expect from the AG.

Merrick Garland to give a statement on Trump Mar-a-Lago raid
The remarks will be the attorney general’s first since the FBI executed a search warrant on the former president’s home
Farmer says he’s watching Ohio FBI standoff ‘from top of the grain bin’
Details are still emerging about a massive law enforcement standoff in Ohio involving a man who allegedly threatened an FBI field office.
The FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local police have all converged on a cornfield near Wilmington, Ohio, and surrounded the alleged assailant.
Livestock farmer Bryan Vaughan of Wilmington wrote on Twitter on Thursday’s he can see at least 40 police vehicles from the top of his grain bin.
Dramatic shoot-out after armed man threatened FBI office in Ohio and led police on car chase
There’s an ongoing standoff in Ohio after an armed man made threats at an FBI office in Cincinnati and led police on a car chase.
NBC News reporter Ken Dilanian said on MSNBC that “a man entered … and fired a nail gun at law enforcement … The man then held up an AR-15 style rifle before fleeing in a vehicle”.
He added: “A pursuit then occurred … Then the suspect got out of the car and there was a standoff.”
The Wilmington News Journal reported that police scanner traffic updates from the incident said that at 10am, the suspect, described as bald and wearing sunglasses, entered a cornfield and aimed a pistol at police, prompting law enforcement to set up a perimeter.
Gustaf Kilander is following this breaking news story.

Shoot-out after armed man threatened FBI office in Ohio and led police on car chase
Man enters federal building and fires nail gun at law enforcement before taking out assault rifle, reporter says