US Air Marshal in 'Quarantine' After Syringe Attack in Nigeria

A Life Aloft

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A federal air marshal is in quarantine in Houston today after being attacked last night by an unknown assailant at the Lagos, Nigeria airport wielding a syringe.

U.S. law enforcement officials told ABC News they were alarmed by the bizarre, unprovoked attack because the assailant was apparently able to inject an unknown substance into the back of one of the air marshal’s arms.

The air marshal was traveling with a team of other marshals when the attack took place in an unsecured area of the airport terminal in Lagos, the officials said.

He was able to board the United Airlines flight to Houston he was scheduled to work and was met early this morning in Houston by FBI agents and health workers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Amid fears the substance could contain some form of the Ebola virus, the air marshal was immediately put into quarantine. The FBI said he was screened "on-scene... out of an abundance of caution."

An FBI spokesperson said, “The victim did not exhibit any signs of illness during the flight and was transported to a hospital upon landing for further testing. None of the testing conducted has indicated a danger to other passengers."

Health experts say most infectious agents would not immediately manifest or make the patient contagious.

While the unknown assailant ran away and could not be located, officials said the other air marshals on the team were able to secure the needle and bring it on the flight for testing in the U.S.

U.S. air marshals travel undercover in plain clothes and it would not be immediately obvious to an attacker that his target was an American law enforcement agent, officials say.

“While there is no immediate intelligence to confirm this was a targeted attack, this is our reminder that international cowards will attempt to take sneaky lethal shots at our honorable men and women abroad,” said Jon Adler, the national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.

The Lagos airport has long been considered a possible target for the terror group Boko Haram which has conducted a series of deadly attacks across Nigeria.
http://abcnews.go.com/International...tine-syringe-attack-nigeria/story?id=25353527


Good grief. I hope he will okay.
 
The big question is, how was he recognized as an air marshal? They're not supposed to be dressed like they just stepped out of a 5.11 store, but unfortunately some do.......alot less than used to.

I keep an extreme low profile when I travel, looking more like I should be on a road paving crew on Interstate 10, than any kind of LEO.
 
The big question is, how was he recognized as an air marshal? They're not supposed to be dressed like they just stepped out of a 5.11 store, but unfortunately some do.......alot less than used to.

I keep an extreme low profile when I travel, looking more like I should be on a road paving crew on Interstate 10, than any kind of LEO.

That's what I was wondering, too. The whole point is that they're incognito.
 
Well, I mean, if the object was to get an infectious agent in to the US, might it just be he was a target of opportunity (eg. looked "american")? I mean, a bunch of presumably fairly fit dudes wouldn't be my #1 pick, but any port in a storm, I guess.
 
Well, I mean, if the object was to get an infectious agent into the US, might it just be he was a target of opportunity (eg. looked "american")? I mean, a bunch of presumably fairly fit dudes wouldn't be my #1 pick, but any port in a storm, I guess.

The air marshal, or a virus? :)
 
Is it strange that he was allowed to board? Say he was infected with ebola, and then boarded a plane full of people to one of our biggest cities which also happens to be a giant hub. I mean I hate to be harsh on a victim but seems ballsy.
 
Is it strange that he was allowed to board? Say he was infected with ebola, and then boarded a plane full of people to one of our biggest cities which also happens to be a giant hub. I mean I hate to be harsh on a victim but seems ballsy.
Only transmitted via bodily fluids after incubation period iirc. So that's not an issue in this case, as stated by the article.
 
I guess I've seen too many movies. Just seems risky, regardless of incubation period.
 
The big question is, how was he recognized as an air marshal?

The news report I heard tonight mentioned that the attack was random and they just happened to hit him; he wasn't specifically targeted as a Marshal.
 
I'm with Hacker. Don't see anything in the article to indicate the victim was targeted because of his occupation. It appears something else probably precipitated his being targeted, or it was random.
 
He's got as good a chance as anyone to respond favorably to treatment: A young, healthy LEO in the prox of colleagues who served as witnesses & escorts, the situation was immediately understood and communicated to people in US, and an US-bound flight was right there ready to board.

Best wishes.
 
The big question is, how was he recognized as an air marshal? They're not supposed to be dressed like they just stepped out of a 5.11 store, but unfortunately some do.......alot less than used to.

I keep an extreme low profile when I travel, looking more like I should be on a road paving crew on Interstate 10, than any kind of LEO.

5.11 store....Funny. :) Although my bet is that the attacker probably didn't know he was a FAM. They would all look kind of like Liam Neeson anyway. Right?

Scary stuff though. I hope the guy is OK.
 
5.11 store....Funny. :) Although my bet is that the attacker probably didn't know he was a FAM. They would all look kind of like Liam Neeson anyway. Right?.

That's what its sounding like, according to above posts. That it wasn't known the victim was a FAM, but just happened to be one.
 
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