Like the scene out of a movie, the US counterintelligence chief ended up handcuffing a suspect after a car rammed into the restaurant where he was having lunch and burst into flames.
National Counterintelligence Executive Bill Evanina was eating in the Silver Diner in McLean, Virginia, on Wednesday (local time) when a Hummer crashed into the building and caught fire, a US intelligence official said.
A video posted to YouTube shows a suited Evanina and his two luncheon companions dragging the driver away from the Hummer.
The man is flipped over and Evanina, a former FBI agent, kneels on his back and handcuffs him as sirens wail and flames leap from the car.
The intelligence official said on Thursday that Evanina's two companions were a former FBI agent and an ex-CIA officer.
A spokesman for Evanina had no comment. FBI Director James Comey called Evanina to congratulate him, a source familiar with the matter said.
Fairfax County police said four people were injured, including the driver. A police spokeswoman said the man was in the hospital and no charges had been filed.
A spokesman for Silver Diner said in a statement the driver was a former employee. McLean, the site of the incident, is home to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters.
As the National Counterintelligence Executive, Evanina is the head of counterintelligence for the US government and chief counterintelligence adviser to the director of National Intelligence.
Reuters
