Update: Local News outlets are confirming that Donald Hanson, who is suspected of driving his car into a security gate at Pittsburgh's FBI Field Office, has been apprehended.
Oakland. Fifth Ave at Meyran Ave. After a tip to the city, Pitt Police and city detectives believe that they just detained the driver of the FBI building incident from early this morning.
— Pittsburgh Scanner (@pgh_scanner) September 17, 2025
The suspect was taken into custody near the University of Pittsburgh campus in the city's Oakland neighborhood. No other information related to the arrest has been released at this time.
Original Story: A manhunt is underway in Pittsburgh for a man accused of what the FBI is calling a terror attack on the agency's Pittsburgh field office.
At approximately 2:40 am EST, the suspect rammed his car into the gate of the FBI's Pittsburgh Field Office in the city's South Side Neighborhood. The high-speed collision failed to breach the gate. The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot after throwing an American flag over the fence.
BREAKING: Driver rams FBI Pittsburgh field office gate in targeted 'act of terror,' official says pic.twitter.com/QlVOrC7FR5
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 17, 2025
The suspect has been identified as Donald Henson of Penn Hills, PA, a suburban municipality that borders the East End of Pittsburgh.
Henson is still at large.
BREAKING UPDATE: The man accused of ramming his car into the entrance gate at the FBI's Pittsburgh field office overnight has been identified as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills.
— KDKA (@KDKA) September 17, 2025
READ MORE: https://t.co/or9TharBw8 pic.twitter.com/2CfLdiiNh3
FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano updated local media outlets on the investigation.
A search is underway for a man accused of committing a "targeted attack" by allegedly using his car to ram the entrance gate to the FBI's Pittsburgh Field office.
The FBI says they're searching for Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who they say used his car to ram the gate to the building around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday.
FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent In Charge Christopher Giordano said early Wednesday that after crashing into the gate, Henson grabbed an American flag from inside the vehicle and threw it over the gate.
"We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI," Giordano said. "This was a targeted attack on this building." The FBI has since backed away from calling the incident an "act of terror."
Donald Henson, who is reported to have a long history of mental illness, was at the FBI field office a couple of weeks ago to make what is described as a nonsensical complaint. It's not known if that interaction led to this morning's attack, but the FBI emphasized that he is considered to be dangerous.
"Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI," Giordano said. "It is a federal offense and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent."
The car the FBI says Henson used appeared to have some sort of message written on one of its side windows, which Giordano said investigators are still looking into and brought in a bomb squad to clear the vehicle.
The FBI says that Henson visited the Pittsburgh office recently.
"In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn't make a whole lot of sense," Giordano said. "We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn't have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn't a federal offense that we were able to charge."
Anyone with information about Henson's whereabouts is asked to call 911.
There's no indication that Henson is armed, but the FBI says he is believed to have a history of mental health issues and believed to be a former member of the military.
Officials are asking anyone who sees Henson to immediately call 911.
The public is asked to please call 911, call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or make a report online at https://t.co/AoP0WgKFiX. pic.twitter.com/OnO7gyhlel
— FBI Pittsburgh (@FBIPittsburgh) September 17, 2025
It's not known if Henson is armed, and it's not clear what he intended to do if he had successfully breached the security gate. A bag left in the car was cleared by the bomb squad. The FBI is considering the attack a targeted act of terror against the agency.
Terrifying news 😳 Hoping everyone at the FBI office is safe, this is why security can never be taken lightly.
— MosDef NG (@MosdefNG) September 17, 2025
There were no injuries reported.
Here we go again. Some people have lost their minds in this country.
— Mark Vandenberg (@MarkVandenberg) September 17, 2025
Scary times when even secure institutions like the FBI face such direct attacks. 😳🚨 A driver ramming into the Pittsburgh field office gate being called an ‘act of terror’ shows how unpredictable threats have become. Glad immediate response contained it—safety of people comes…
— Crikistaan (@crikistaan) September 17, 2025
The motive for the attack is not known or has not been released at this time.
This is a developing story. We'll keep you updated.
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