According to CCTV News, on August 11, local time, a man armed with weapons tried to break into the office of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati, Ohio, and fled the scene after failing to break in. A chase ensued with the police, which lasted for hours and was eventually killed.
Local media reported that the 42-year-old suspect, Rick Seaver, was a veteran and a "big fan" of former U.S. President Donald Trump. It is reported that Seaver not only donated money to the Trump campaign, but also suspected of participating in the Capitol Hill riots initiated by Trump supporters on January 6 last year. To that end, the FBI has launched an investigation into Seaver in recent months.
↑ Seaver is suspected of appearing at the scene of the Capitol Hill riots on January 6 last year, with a photo posted in the lower right corner for himself
Served for many years and was deployed to Iraq
There is also a "drag racing history"
At around 9:15 a.m. local time on Aug. 11, Seaver tried to break into the visitor security center at the FBI's office in Cincinnati. After the alarm sounded, FBI agents rushed to the scene. Seaver then drove to Interstate 71 and engaged law enforcement officers in a road chase. At about 9:53 a.m., Seaver was forced to stop by police on a country road about 45 miles north of Cincinnati, and then hid behind the car and engaged police in a shootout.
It wasn't until around 3:42 p.m. that the five-hour standoff between the two sides on the highway ended. At that time, in the face of Sif, who raised his gun again because of the failure of the negotiations, the police shot him. Ohio authorities revealed after the incident that the suspect was wearing body armor and holding an AR-15 rifle and a nail gun. During the standoff, the authorities sent negotiators, helicopters and even bomb disposal teams to the scene. Apart from the suspect, no other person at the scene was injured or killed.
After federal authorities released the suspect's name, news came that Seaver, 42, was currently living in Columbus, the ohio capital. In 1998, Seaver joined the U.S. Navy shortly after graduating from a high school in his native Pennsylvania and served for five years on the Navy's Columbia-class strategic nuclear submarines. At the time, Seaver was responsible for monitoring weapon systems such as missiles and torpedoes. According to a Navy official, the position involves top secret or sensitive information of the U.S. government and national security.
↑ After the alarm sounded, FBI agents quickly arrived at the scene
Seaver retired from the Navy in 2003 and joined the Florida Army National Guard five years later. During three years of infantry service, Sif was deployed to Iraq for a year-long battle. He chose to retire shortly after returning to the United States. According to public records, Seaver has moved frequently since retiring in 2011, and after coming to Columbus, he moved into a dilapidated apartment building and worked as an electrician there.
It is worth noting that Sever had "dealt" with law enforcement on several occasions before this incident. In 2003, he was arrested by police in Minnesota and confessed to "obstruction of legal process." The following year, Seaver received a ticket for speeding in Minnesota. In addition to Minnesota, Seaver has received speeding tickets in Ohio, Florida and even Hawaii.
Trump "iron fan"
Suspected accounts have sent messages saying they are "trying to attack the FBI."
After the incident, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe pointed out in an interview later in the 11th that the attack on the FBI office occurred shortly after the FBI search for Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, which was a "coincidence". However, there is news that Seaver's hard entry into the FBI office may be closely related to Trump's "home raid".
Two U.S. law enforcement officials said on the 12th that before the incident, federal authorities had been eyeing Seaver a few months ago and had been investigating whether it was involved in the Capitol Hill riots on January 6 last year. Seaver is suspected to have appeared in a video taken on the day of the Capitol Hill riots, and he also appeared at a rally of Trump supporters the day before the riots. According to federal election records, the Trump "iron fan" donated $250 to the Trump campaign as early as 2016.
↑Seaver is suspected of appearing at the scene of the Capitol Hill riots on January 6 last year
Law enforcement officials added that the FBI had received a tip about Seaver in May, but claimed it "does not contain a specific and credible threat." It is reported that agents in many FBI offices have tried to find Seaver for investigation and questioning, but have not succeeded.
According to local media reports, Seaver is suspected of posting a large number of remarks about the "theft of the 2020 election" on Trump's self-created social platform "Truth Social". In the week before the FBI office alone, an account on the platform that matched Seaver's name and photo posted a total of 374 messages, much of it echoing Trump's conspiracy theories about "election fraud." On the day mar-a-lago was raided by the FBI, the account called on other Trump supporters to "get ready for the fight." On the morning of the 11th local time, the account sent a message saying that it was "trying to attack the FBI."
It is reported that after the FBI searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, the death threats against FBI agents and Justice Department officials involved in the search increased significantly on social media. FBI Director Christopher Ray has responded that the practice is "pathetic and dangerous." In response, Ruth Ben-Ghialt, a professor at New York University who studies extremism and domestic terrorism, warned that violent rhetoric by anti-government demagogues could fuel such attacks that seek to undermine the F.B.I.'s field offices.
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
Editor-in-charge Deng Xuguang Editor Yu Mange
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