On Tuesday, authorities in New York announced that they found no evidence of terrorism in connection to a car-ramming attack during a New Year’s Eve concert at the Kodak Center in Rochester, NY.
The incident reportedly killed two people sitting in a ride-share vehicle and injured nine. One of the wounded victims was described as having “life-altering injuries.”
In a news conference, FBI Special Agent Jeremy Bell told reporters, “So far we’ve uncovered no evidence of an ideology and no nexus to terrorism, either international or domestic.”
The alleged attacker was identified as Michael Avery from Syracuse, NY. Rochester’s police chief, David Smith, stated that the 35-year-old may have been encountering “possible undiagnosed mental health issues” during the terrifying event.
Smith also said that responding fire department personnel took an hour to put out the resulting fires and found at least a dozen gasoline canisters in the suspect’s vehicle.
Law enforcement officials said that Avery rented a SUV at the Rochester airport on Dec. 30, then travelled around to various gas stations in Monroe and Ontario counties to fill portable containers with fuel.
The New York Post reported that investigative sources informed them that a suicide note and a personal journal belonging to the driver was found when a search warrant was executed on a local hotel where he was residing.
Avery, who has no previous criminal record, died in the hospital at 8 p.m. on Monday from injuries related to his actions.
