A man trying to board a flight to Israel was taken into custody Wednesday night in Atlanta in connection with the stabbings of 20 people in three states, police said. Five of the victims died.
The attacks, which first began in May, occurred in Michigan, Virginia and Ohio. Police were conducting a multistate search for a suspect and had recently released a composite sketch.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said they arrested the man at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday as he attempted to board Delta Air Lines Flight 152 bound for Tel Aviv, Israel, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The man arrested is an Israeli citizen in the U.S. legally, two sources later confirmed.
A Department of Homeland Security official said the National Targeting Center had looked at the passenger list and saw his name on the manifest.
Upon confirmation of his identity, the man was placed in the custody of the FBI and Atlanta Police Department.
