The Texas man arrested on Friday for charging at the White House was armed with a knife when he climbed a fence and made it into the executive mansion after President Barack Obama had departed, the US Attorney’s Office said yesterday.
Previously, the US Secret Service had said Omar Gonzalez, 42, had been unarmed.
Previously the US Secret Service had said the man had been unarmed
Gonzalez was charged with unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a “deadly or dangerous weapon,” according to an affidavit released by the US Attorney’s Office on Saturday.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
The affidavit, signed by Daniel Hochman, a Secret Service officer on duty at the White House when the incident occurred, said Gonzalez was carrying a folding knife with a three-and-a-half-inch long serrated blade. It said Gonzalez went through the north doors and got inside the mansion.
“After he was apprehended, Omar Gonzalez told United States Secret Service Agent Lee Smart that he was concerned that the atmosphere was collapsing and (he) needed to get the information to the President of the United States so that he could get the word out to the people,” the affidavit said.
The incident, one of the most significant breaches since Obama became President, raised questions about security procedures at the White House, a heavily guarded complex filled with Secret Service officers and snipers.
The Secret Service increased security around the White House on Friday and started a review of its response, including a physical assessment of the area and interviews with involved personnel, the agency said.
Shortly before the intrusion, Obama and his daughters had departed for Camp David. First Lady Michelle Obama had traveled separately to the presidential retreat in nearby Maryland.
“Every day the Secret Service is challenged to ensure security at the White House complex while still allowing public accessibility to a national historical site,” the agency said in a statement.
“Although last night the officers showed tremendous restraint and discipline in dealing with this subject, the location of Gonzalez’s arrest is not acceptable.”
The results of the review will be delivered to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
While waiting for the results of the review, Secret Service Director Julia Pierson ordered increased security around the area where the intruder got on to the White House grounds.