On February 11, 2016, Mohamed Barry, a 30-year-old man of Guinean descent, carried out a machete attack at the Nazareth Restaurant and Deli in Gahanna, Ohio. Barry, who was a permanent resident in the United States and worked in computer programming and information technology, entered the restaurant and began attacking customers with a machete, injuring four people.
The attack was investigated as a possible instance of lone-wolf terrorism, and Barry was killed as he attempted to attack police officers with his machete.
Barry had been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation four years prior to the incident for making radical statements. The FBI had flagged him in a law enforcement database that includes names potentially related to terrorism. During the attack, Barry first spoke to an employee and then left the restaurant, only to return about 30 minutes later armed with a machete. He attacked several people inside the restaurant, causing chaos and panic among the patrons.
After fleeing the scene in a white Toyota Corolla, Barry led police on a short chase. During the pursuit, officers attempted to execute a PIT maneuver to force his car off the road, but it was unsuccessful. A second attempt succeeded, and Barry's vehicle crashed into a street curb. As officers approached the vehicle, Barry emerged and lunged at them with the machete and a filet knife, yelling "Allahu Akbar!". An officer shot Barry multiple times, and he died at the scene.
The attack was later classified as a terrorist attack by the White House in 2017. The victims of the attack, including Bill Foley, Neil McMeekin, and Debbie and Gerald Russell, were hospitalized but survived. The incident highlighted the ongoing concerns about lone-wolf terrorism and the challenges faced by law enforcement in preventing such attacks.
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