Sensational title? Well, this is a sensational story. Apparently an incarcerated member of the Aryan Nation terrorist group, based in the US, was armed and on the loose today.

At about 7:45 a.m. Monday, an inmate accompanied by a corrections officer arrived at the center to for medical treatment. While they were in an exam room, some type of altercation took place and the suspect was able to get the officer’s gun.

Officer Stephen Anderson, 60, was shot and died from his injuries.

There are some obvious lingering questions about why a terrorist called Utah’s “public enemy #1” was essentially left unguarded. After shooting the corrections officer in the head he carjacked a vehicle. Police gave chase but it ended when the inmate climbed through a drive-in window of a fast food restaurant and tried to attack the people inside:

At least one shot was fired inside Arby’s and if not for the quick action of a former military paratrooper who happened to be inside the restaurant, there could have been more shots fired.

A 59-year-old Salt Lake City resident named Eric is credited with getting the gun away from the armed suspect. He says the gunman threatened others inside the restaurant.

“He was going to kill that guy and I wasn’t going to let him kill him,” he said.

Eric would seem to be a true hero, having intercepted a terrorist and disarmed him before he could do further harm. I wonder if the attack on civilians will be labeled as a terrorist act. Or more to the point I wonder how this will reflect on the national security debate as police departments unable to recruit new hires and the guard are said to be missing essential equipment?