Air Marshal Attacked With Syringe in Nigeria Airport

An on-duty U.S. Federal Air Marshal was stabbed with a syringe containing an unknown substance at the Lagos, Nigeria, airport just before boarding a flight headed for Houston, federal agencies said Monday. The FBI and CDC are investigating.

The marshal wasn’t severely injured, but it wasn’t clear whether the syringe contained any hazardous or viral substances.

Despite fears of the potentially deadly Ebola virus in light of the historic outbreak in Nigeria and other West African countries, it appeared the attack may have been a robbery attempt, sources told NBC News.

The air marshal and the rest of his team–along with the syringe used in the attack– were immediately flown out of Nigeria and back to the U.S. where he was later hospitalized. The marshal did not show any signs of illness during the flight.

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