WHITE HOUSE INTRUDER CASE RAISES SECURITY QUESTIONS

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

 

By Miriam Raftery

September 22, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – How could a man with a history of threats and a prior arrest involving a stash of weapons manage to leap over the White House fence and burst inside the White House, home of President Barack Obama and his family?

That’s a question being asked of the Secret Service after Omar Gonzalez, an Iraq War veteran reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, was arrested over the weekend after breaching White House security and causing evacuation of the White House.

Gonzalez was armed only with a knife in hand, but investigators found over 800 rounds of ammunition in his car—along with a machete and two hatchets. 

The intruder was already under indictment in Virginia, where he was arrested in July after leading police on a chase. Virginia state troopers found a sawed-off shotgun, two powerful rifles , other guns and ammo in his vehicle during that incident. He also had a map with the White House circled.

A key question is why Secret Service didn’t let loose dogs to take down the intruder, a tactic that has been done successfully to stop several fence-jumpers in the past.

Agents opted not to open fire on Gonzalez because it was obvious he carried no guns and did not have on heavy enough clothing to conceal substantial explosives, CBS News reports, and because firing shots would risk hurting innocent bystanders.

This isn’t the first major security breach.  Over the past year, a man was arrested for throwing firecrackers over the White House fence, a woman was arrested after ramming a security checkpoint, and a motorist was taken into custody after following a motorcade carrying the President’s daughters into a secure area near the White House.

The fact that an intruder could make it all the way inside the White House, however, has heightened worries in an era when terrorist groups have overtly threatened the U.S. and where the potential for operatives inside the U.S. to attempt to strike down key targets is a growing concern.

A spokesman for President Obama has said that while he has concerns over the latest breach, he also expressed confidence in the Secret Service’s ability to protect protection for the President and his family.

The Secret Service has indicated it has increased security Monday around the perimeter of the White House, also launching an investigation into the latest breach and how security might be improved.

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.