US EditionAn Apparent Thwarted Attack at the World’s Busiest Airport Highlights Ongoing Security Risks
- On Monday, Atlanta Police Department arrested Billy Joe Cagle, 49, of Cartersville at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after identifying him from social media posts and footage.
- Cagle's family alerted Cartersville Police Department after he livestreamed threats saying he was heading to the airport and reported possessing a rifle, describing mental issues needing intervention.
- APD said officers recovered an AR-15 assault rifle with 27 rounds locked in Cagle's pickup truck while he entered the terminal unarmed and scoped a busy TSA security checkpoint.
- At around 9:40 a.m., Cartersville police notified APD and officers had Cagle in custody by about 9:42 a.m.; Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said `27 or more lives could've been lost`.
- Facing multiple charges, Cagle faces terroristic threats and firearm possession counts as APD coordinates with federal authorities to investigate weapon sourcing.
101 Articles
101 Articles
An apparent thwarted attack at the world’s busiest airport highlights ongoing security risks
Moments after receiving a report of a man who threatened to shoot up the world’s busiest airport while livestreaming, Atlanta Police Officer Myesha Banks spotted a man matching his description in the crowd.
Federal charges for man accused of threatening to shoot up Atlanta airport
Police body camera footage of an arrest at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is shown during a press briefing, Oct. 20, 2025. Atlanta Police Department (ATLANTA) — A man accused of going to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after making a threat to shoot it up now faces multiple federal charges, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was taken into custody in a terminal at the airport o…
Convicted felon federally charged after threatening Atlanta airport while armed with AR-15 rifle
A Georgia man accused of threatening to "shoot up" Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been federally charged after authorities say he arrived at the busy travel hub with an AR-15-style rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition in his truck.Convicted felon Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was charged in a criminal complaint on Tuesday with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure …
DOJ charges man who allegedly planned shooting at Atlanta airport
The previously convicted felon who allegedly planned to commit a mass shooting at an airport in Atlanta on Monday now faces three federal charges. Billy Cagle is being charged with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another, and possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony offense, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday. The charges stem from Cag…
Prosecutors charge man accused of threatening to shoot up Atlanta airport
ATLANTA — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday brought charges against a Georgia man who was arrested a day earlier by police after his family contacted authorities saying he planned a shooting at Atlanta’s international airport. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, threatened to “shoot up” the world’s busiest airport on a FaceTime call while driving, abruptly ending the call after saying, “I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” prosecutors said in a ne…
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