WASHINGTON: The US Secret Service arrested a Venezuelan national near the White House on Thursday night after finding three firearms in a vehicle he was sitting in, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a criminal complaint.
A Secret Service officer on patrol spotted the vehicle parked on Constitution Avenue, near the White House complex, shortly before midnight, according to the complaint affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court. DHS said officers approached the suspect, identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, after seeing him act suspiciously. He told officers there were weapons inside. A search turned up an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 machine pistol, a Glock 43X pistol and dozens of rounds of ammunition. The vehicle was stolen, according to the complaint. Guanipa Chrinos reportedly told investigators the truck belonged to his boss, who had lent it to him.
DHS said the suspect told officers that voices in his head urged him to kill President Donald Trump. These are allegations at this stage, and the suspect has not been convicted of any crime.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the officers for making the arrest “before he could harm anyone” and said the man, who DHS says is in the United States illegally, “had no business being in our country.” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the arrest showed the agents’ training and their aim to de-escalate volatile situations. He also said the case reflects the growing threat from armed individuals drawn to the White House complex. The suspect is in the custody of the US Marshals Service, DHS said.