US Air Marshal Stabbed With Mystery Syringe

A US air marshal was attacked with a syringe at an airport in Lagos, Nigeria, yesterday and injected with an unknown substance, Fox News reports. The TSA says he received "precautionary medication" and was flown to Houston with his team, where he was put in quarantine for fear he could have Ebola, reports ABC News. "The victim did not exhibit any signs of illness during the flight and was transported to a hospital upon landing for further testing," says an FBI spokesperson. "None of the testing conducted has indicated a danger to other passengers."

Health officials say the air marshal wouldn't show immediate signs of illness from most infectious agents. Luckily, the air marshal's team was able to grab the needle from the back of his arm and take it to the US for testing. But it's not clear how the attacker identified the victim, since air marshals move undercover in plain clothes; it's possible it wasn't a "targeted attack," says a US law enforcement figure. Officials have long thought that the terrorist group Boko Haram (which has conducted lethal attacks across Nigeria) might strike the Lagos airport. The attack comes as experts say we're losing the Ebola battle and the virus could show up in the US this month. (More Lagos, Nigeria stories.)