Armed intruder at White House sparks Secret Service review
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 21 September, 2014, 1:02pm
UPDATED : Monday, 22 September, 2014, 8:39am
Agencies in Washington
Uniformed Secret Service officers walk along the lawn on the north side of the White House in Washington. Photo: AP
The US Secret Service has launched a security review to learn how an Iraq war veteran with a knife was able to get inside the White House after jumping a fence and sprinting 70 metres across the North Lawn - the first time that has ever happened.
Within seconds, the man - who was said to have been diagnosed with combat trauma - got to the doors of the North Portico and stepped inside. The man - Omar Gonzalez, 42 - was then subdued by an officer.
Agents found a knife in Gonzalez' trouser pocket, a Secret Service affidavit said.
"I ran towards Omar Gonzalez and yelled at him to stop. Instead, Omar Gonzalez ran towards the White House," an agent said in an affidavit.
President Barack Obama and his daughters had just lifted off from the White House grounds in a helicopter.
But the success Gonzalez had in breaching White House security on Friday night exposed gaps in Secret Service efforts to keep the first family safe.
Officials initially said the fact that Gonzalez appeared to be unarmed might have been a factor in why agents did not shoot him or release a trained attack dog.
During an initial appearance in a district court in Washington on Saturday, Gonzalez was charged with unlawful entry while in possession of a deadly or dangerous weapon. He faces up to 10 years behind bars.
An explosives technician in a bomb suit kneels as he searches a vehicle near the entrance to White House in Washington. Photo: AP
According to the affidavit, Gonzalez told agents he was "concerned the atmosphere was collapsing" and needed to contact the president "so he could get word out to the people".
The document also said Gonzalez had served at least two tours in Iraq with the US army. He was discharged in 2012.
The Secret Service said the security review would encompass "all operational policies and security procedures during this process". In the interim, increased patrols and surveillance around the White House fence line complex had been ordered.
The review's announcement came on the same day a man was charged with trespassing after he tried to gain access to a White House vehicle entrance.
Agence France-Presse, The Washington Post
