White House Intruder Omar J. Gonzalez Held Without Bail
Prosecutors say the man charged with climbing over the White House security fence and running inside with a knife last Friday was "a danger to the president."
The White House intruder, who has been identified as 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzalez of Copperas Cove, Texas, managed to climb over the north fence and then run across the lawn into the residence around 7:20 p.m. on Sept. 19, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Once he reached the White House, he was finally arrested and charged with unlawful entry for breaking into the White House complex. He was then transported to the George Washington Medical Center to be evaluated for chest pain.
After his arrest, officials found 800 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle, which was parked nearby, along with two hatchets and a machete, reports NBC News.
Investigators also say that the veteran was caught menacing the building in the past.
On Monday, Gonzalez made an appearance in federal court and was ordered by a judge to be held without bail until Oct. 1.
A spokesman said President Barack Obama was "obviously concerned" about the incident.
The president and his family were not home during the incident because they had left just minutes prior for Camp David.
The Secret Service began investigating how the was able to make it pass security and run to the front doors of the White House before being apprehended on Friday.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on national security, condemn the security breach as "totally unacceptable" and noted that the incident was just one of many Secret Service security failures, reports The Associated Press.
"Unfortunately, they are failing to do their job," the Republican congressman said. "These are good men and women, but the Secret Service leadership has a lot of questions to answer."
In wake of the incident, the agency plans to launch a review of security practices.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com