Omar J. Gonzalez, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas, was arrested by the White House authorities when he allegedly hopped a White House fence and ran across the North Lawn and entered the executive mansion.
Assistant U. S. Attorney David Mudd, in a brief court hearing on Monday, said that the White House security officials arrested Gonzalez on August 25, when he was found walking by the south fence of the White House.
Mudd stated that Omar was armed with a knife and the officials later found 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets in his car that was parked nearby.
The White House security breach prompted the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to schedule a hearing on next Tuesday related to the Secret Service and its practices. The committee has also invited Julia Pierson, the Director of Secret Service to testify.
The Secret Service asserted that Gonzalez appeared to be unarmed as he dashed across the lawn. But the officials later acknowledged that he was carrying a small folding knife with a serrated blade, in a criminal complaint.
The details about the arms and ammunition and other weapons which the accused had in his vehicle, were disclosed during his court appearance on Monday.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that he will be reviewing the findings of the investigation and advised the public not to rush to judgment or second-guess security officers.
It has been reported that the Secret Services did not shoot or send attack dogs after Omar.
But according to US officials, the primary reason why the officers did not fire at Gonzalez is that they did not find any weapon in his hands and moreover he wasn't wearing clothes that could conceal substantial quantities of explosives.
A White House spokesman on Monday said President Barack Obama was highly concerned about the security breach.
Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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