Man with ax and sword seeks out NYT’s political section

Police say he surrendered his weapons and was taken to the hospital for evaluation

A man showed up at the lobby of the New York Times building in Manhattan carrying an ax and a sword, news outlets have reported, citing the New York Police Department. The incident was resolved without violence.

The 32-year-old went to the Times building, known as the Gray Lady, and said he wanted to see people in the political section of the newspaper, according to law enforcement. Security personnel refused to let him through and called the police. The man handed over his weapons to the guards and waited for emergency personnel, who took him to Roosevelt Hospital for evaluation.

According to the New York Post, the man also had a folding knife and a container of mace. He claimed to be a whistleblower and said some people were after him, a police source told the newspaper. The Post added that the man had no known criminal history.

The NYT said it was grateful to the police for their response and for the fact that the incident was resolved quickly and peacefully.

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In December 2018, CNN evacuated its New York office after someone phoned in and claimed there were multiple bombs planted in the Time Warner Center building in Manhattan. The news network had to switch to taped programming due to the interruption.