HOUSTON – A federal air marshal was taken to a Houston hospital for tests after he was stabbed with a needle at an airport in Nigeria, according to Local 2 sources.
A group of federal agents in plain clothes were about to walk through security at the Lagos airport Sunday when they were approached by a group of men. Sources said one of them stabbed a needle into an agent's arm and then they all ran away.
Local 2 sources said the agent pulled the needle out of his body and stored it in a safe container. He boarded the flight that he was scheduled to work and landed at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport. He went to a hospital and doctors tested him for several diseases, including Ebola and HIV.
"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," said FBI special agent Shauna Dunlap in a statement to Local 2.
Homeland security expert Joan Neuhaus Schaan said the reason for the attack lies with whatever was in the syringe.
"Was it something intended to just harm that person, who they certainly thought was American, who they may or may not have known he was a U.S. marshal, or was it something that is contagious that they then hope to spread to the United States," she said.
With the 13th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks just days away, law enforcement sources told Local 2 they were concerned about terrorism connections and wondered if this was a dry run for a bigger plot.
The FBI is now investigating and it plans to test the needle. It could take two days for the test results to come back.
As for the federal marshal, he was discharged from the hospital and is at home recovering. His name has not been released.
