A syringe used to attack a U.S. air marshal waiting for a flight from Lagos, Nigeria to Houston, Texas was tested and found to be negative for Ebola according to the FBI.
The assault happened at the Lagos airport Sunday night. The unnamed air marshal was stabbed in the back of the arm with the syringe while passing through the airport. Another air marshal traveling with him was able to secure the syringe and return it on the flight. The air marshals were met in Houston by the FBI and CDC. An FBI spokesman confirmed to Breitbart News that the syringe was tested for Ebola and other unspecified toxins but all of the tests were negative.
The CDC confirmed that the air marshal showed no signs of illness during the flight or when he arrived in Houston. He was transported to an area hospital for further evaluation. CDC says at this time there is no indication of any threat of infection to other passengers who were on the flight.
The FBI has begun an investigation of the incident but did not give out any detail about the attacker who managed to evade the other marshals and escape. Asked how someone would have known the victim was an air marshal, the FBI spokesman said simply they could not have known. However, it’s possible the marshal was targeted simply because he was dressed as a westerner.
Jon Adler, the National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, told ABC News that prior to the incident a group of marshals noted they were being watched by “suspicious men” in the Lagos airport. Adler told ABC, “Our air marshals involved in the incident were absolutely convinced it was a deliberate attack.”
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