A 36-year-old domestic terror suspect was killed in a confrontation with the FBI Tuesday after allegedly targeting a Missouri-area hospital providing care during the coronavirus emergency, the bureau said Wednesday.
Timothy Wilson, the subject of a long-running undercover terror inquiry, had allegedly considered a range of targets before he “settled on an area hospital … that is providing critical medical care in today’s environment,” according to the FBI.
The FBI said Wilson was wounded when agents sought to arrest him Tuesday in Belton, Missouri, after closely tracking his activities. The bureau said Wilson was armed at the time he was shot in the clash with agents. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital
“Wilson was the subject of a months-long domestic terrorism investigation, which revealed him to be a potentially violent extremist, motivated by racial, religious, and anti-government animus,” the bureau said in statement.
“With the current health crisis, Wilson decided to accelerate his plan to use a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in an attempt to cause severe harm and mass casualties,” the FBI said.
The bureau said Wilson had taken “the necessary steps to acquire materials needed to build an explosive device,” even as agents tracked Wilson “in order to protect public safety.”
Agents were preparing to arrest the suspect when he attempted to retrieve what he believed to be an explosive device. The device had been rendered safe by the FBI.
“The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting,” the bureau said. “In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident will be investigated by the FBI’s Inspection Division.”
The bureau declined further comment.
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