Friday, 18 November 2011
A U.S. Park Police photograph shows Oscar Ortega-Hernandez who is suspected of shooting at the White House. (Reuters)
A man accused of firing two shots at the White House last week has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Barack Obama or his staff.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh on Thursday, one day after he was arrested at a western Pennsylvania hotel. He will be taken back from a federal court in Pittsburgh to face the charges in Washington, D.C, according to The Associated Press.
According to court filings obtained by AFP, one of the suspect’s friends said Ortega-Hernandez saw Obama as the “devil” and was “preparing something.”
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, 21, made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh on Thursday, one day after he was arrested at a western Pennsylvania hotel. He will be taken back from a federal court in Pittsburgh to face the charges in Washington, D.C, according to The Associated Press.
According to court filings obtained by AFP, one of the suspect’s friends said Ortega-Hernandez saw Obama as the “devil” and was “preparing something.”
The witness said the suspect had said Obama “needed to be taken care of” and had pledged he would “not stop until it's done.”
He was arrested at a hotel near Indiana, Pennsylvania, after gunshots were heard late Friday near the White House, about 600 to 700 yards (meters) away on Constitution Avenue, Secret Service special agent Edwin Donovan said.
Within five minutes of the shooting, authorities located an abandoned vehicle on Constitution Avenue, which runs along the north border of the Washington Mall.
From Constitution Avenue, a shooter would have a clear line of sight to the White House, across the Ellipse and the South Lawn of the presidential mansion.
Traffic is not restricted on Constitution Avenue and members of the public can approach the wrought iron fence at the bottom of the South Lawn on foot.
Obama, his wife, their two daughters, and the first lady’s mother live at the White House, which is one of the world's most closely guarded buildings.
Because the gunshots were heard so near the White House, the Secret Service launched an investigation and on Tuesday morning found damage to an exterior window of the White House.
“A round was stopped by ballistic glass behind the historic exterior glass. One additional round has been found on the exterior of the White House,” Donovan said Wednesday.
The White House’s southern facade has three levels. On the ground floor are offices, the Map Room and rooms where the White House china is on display.
On the main floor several rooms have south facing windows, including the East Room, where presidential press conferences are held; the Blue, Red and Green Rooms, named after their dominant color schemes; and the State Dining Room.
On the top floor are the private living quarters of the president and his family. The residence's main bedroom, a dining room, a reception room and the Lincoln bedroom all have windows facing south.
He was arrested at a hotel near Indiana, Pennsylvania, after gunshots were heard late Friday near the White House, about 600 to 700 yards (meters) away on Constitution Avenue, Secret Service special agent Edwin Donovan said.
Within five minutes of the shooting, authorities located an abandoned vehicle on Constitution Avenue, which runs along the north border of the Washington Mall.
From Constitution Avenue, a shooter would have a clear line of sight to the White House, across the Ellipse and the South Lawn of the presidential mansion.
Traffic is not restricted on Constitution Avenue and members of the public can approach the wrought iron fence at the bottom of the South Lawn on foot.
Obama, his wife, their two daughters, and the first lady’s mother live at the White House, which is one of the world's most closely guarded buildings.
Because the gunshots were heard so near the White House, the Secret Service launched an investigation and on Tuesday morning found damage to an exterior window of the White House.
“A round was stopped by ballistic glass behind the historic exterior glass. One additional round has been found on the exterior of the White House,” Donovan said Wednesday.
The White House’s southern facade has three levels. On the ground floor are offices, the Map Room and rooms where the White House china is on display.
On the main floor several rooms have south facing windows, including the East Room, where presidential press conferences are held; the Blue, Red and Green Rooms, named after their dominant color schemes; and the State Dining Room.
On the top floor are the private living quarters of the president and his family. The residence's main bedroom, a dining room, a reception room and the Lincoln bedroom all have windows facing south.
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