Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 7: A 30-year-old Venezuelan national was arrested near the White House after a US Secret Service officer discovered a cache of firearms and ammunition inside a stolen pickup truck. The suspect reportedly told authorities that voices in his head had instructed him to travel to Washington DC and kill President Donald Trump.
The arrest took place shortly before midnight on Thursday when a Secret Service officer on routine patrol spotted a blue Ford F-150 parked on Constitution Avenue, close to the White House complex. The officer approached the vehicle after noticing suspicious activity and asked the man inside whether he was safe and carrying any weapons.
According to a criminal complaint filed in DC Superior Court, the man, identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, nodded when asked about weapons and made a finger-gun gesture. He then stepped out of the vehicle and communicated with investigators through Google Translate.
He reportedly told officers that he had a gun because someone had tried to kill him with it and that he had taken it away from that person. He also directed investigators towards a brown bag inside the pickup.
A subsequent search uncovered three firearms, including an AR-15 rifle, a MAC-10 machine pistol and a Glock 43x handgun, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition. Investigators later established that the pickup truck had been reported stolen in South Carolina.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Guanipa-Chrinos told officers that he had heard voices in his head instructing him to travel to Washington and kill Trump. However, the alleged statement about the voices does not appear in the criminal complaint affidavit.
US Secret Service Director Sean Curran described the incident as an example of the heightened security threat surrounding the White House.
"This incident reflects the heightened threat environment in which we operate, as well as the continued number of armed individuals who are drawn to the White House complex," Curran said.
He said Secret Service personnel were trained to respond to such situations but expressed concern over the growing number of threat-related incidents.
Guanipa-Chrinos was taken into custody by the US Marshals Service and faces multiple charges, including unauthorised use of a vehicle, receiving stolen property, and carrying a pistol and rifle without licences, along with other firearms-related offences.
He appeared before the DC Superior Court on Friday and remains in custody without bond, according to online court records.