A “person of interest” in a series of stabbing attacks in Virginia, Michigan and Ohio was apprehended late Wednesday as he was trying to leave the country, authorities said.
The man was apprehended at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International airport as he was attempting to board a Delta flight bound for Tel Aviv, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.
Police say the man is linked to 16 stabbings — five fatal — in Flint, Mich., three non-fatal stabbings in Leesburg and one in Toledo, Ohio. The attacks are thought to be racially motivated.
His name was not released.
The man has ties to both the Leesburg and Flint areas, Leesburg police spokesman Chris Jones said in a statement.
A law enforcement source told the Associated Press that the man is an Israeli citizen who is in the United States legally.
