CINCINNATI — The man who died during a standoff with law enforcement after attempting to break into the FBI office in Cincinnati had previously called for agents to be killed "on sight," according to multiple reports.
Law enforcement officials briefed on the situation told ABC News and the Associated Press that 42-year-old Ricky Shiffer called for violence against the FBI after the agency executed a search warrant at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
Posts from accounts believed to be Shiffer's on Trump's social media platform TruthSocial call for "war," ABC News reported.
The Columbus resident attempted to break into the FBI office in Kenwood around 9:15 a.m. He then fled north on I-71 in a white Ford Crown Victoria, leading a police chase and engaging in a shootout. The chase turned into a standoff in Clinton County, with officials blocking off I-71, SR-73 and local roads for hours.
Ohio State Highway Patrol said officers attempted to negotiate with Shiffer throughout the day. When talks failed, officials said officers attempted to take him into custody using "less-than-lethal tactics." Officials said Shiffer then raised a gun toward law enforcement, and he was shot.
Shiffer is believed to have posted, "If you don’t hear from me, it is true I tried attacking the F.B.I." following his attempt Thursday morning. The account has since been removed from TruthSocial.
The Associated Press reported that Shiffer is believed to have been in D.C. in the days leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Several social media posts say Shiffer was at the Capitol though investigators have not determined if that is true. Shiffer has not been charged with any crimes in connection to the riots.
Officials told both the Associated Press and ABC News that investigators are looking into whether Shiffer had ties to far-right extremist groups, specifically the Proud Boys.
Molly Broscoe, a doctoral sociology student and researcher at the University of Cincinnati who specializes in right-wing extremist groups, said Shiffer's attempt to break into the office did not seem to be very well planned out compared to past events.
"In many cases individuals who engage in these actions go into it knowing that there is a very high likelihood that they will die in the process," she said. "They know going in and its actually kind of a part of their driving factor. They are so deeply unsatisfied with own lives that they see this as a way to use their life to make the world closer to the place they would have wanted to live in, even if it means sacrificing themselves in the process."
Broscoe said the FBI has likely increased security at its field offices nationwide.
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