FILE PHOTO: The air traffic control tower is seen from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport terminal, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo
Authorities arrested a 49-year-old man on Monday who was planning a large-scale attack at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to a new report.
Billy Cagle was arrested at the airport with an AR-15-style rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition inside the Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck, The New York Times reported on Monday. Cagle's family told officials that he planned to "shoot it up," referring to the airport.
The arrest was made at 9:40 a.m., authorities said. However, Atlanta's police chief suggested that Cagle's plan seemed to catch authorities off guard.
“What we didn’t know is that Mr. Cagle had already arrived at the airport,” Atlanta Police Department Chief Darin Schierbaum told the outlet.