Los Angeles: A man pulled a semi-automatic rifle from a bag and shot his way past a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, killing a federal security officer and wounding 3 others in an attack that disrupted more than 700 flights across the U.S., authorities said.
Officials said the gunman, who was wounded in a shootout with police and taken into custody, targeted Transportation Security Administration agents, who handle security checks at U.S. airports.
The FBI and Los Angeles Airport Police identified the suspected gunman as Paul Ciancia, 23, of New Jersey.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly, said Ciancia was wearing fatigues and carrying a bag containing a handwritten note that said he wanted to kill TSA employees and “pigs.”
The official said the rant refers to how Ciancia believed his constitutional rights were being violated by TSA searches and that he's a “pissed-off patriot” upset at former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
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