A man accused of firing two shots at the White House last week has been charged with attempting to assassinate US president Barack Obama or his staff.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate in Pittsburgh today, one day after he was arrested at a western Pennsylvania hotel. He will be taken to face Washington DC to face the charges.
The 21-year-old will remain in federal custody at least until a magistrate in Washington can determine if he should remain jailed until his trial on the charge, which carries up to life in prison.
Mr Ortega-Hernandez sat quietly as the hearing began, his hands free but his feet shackled. He said only: “Yes, ma’am” when he was asked if he understood that he would be going back to Washington to face the charge.
Authorities said a man clad in black who was obsessed with Mr Obama pulled up in his car within view of the White House on Friday night and fired shots from an assault rifle, cracking a window of the first family’s living quarters while the President was away.
Soon afterwards, US Park Police found an abandoned vehicle, with an assault rifle inside it, near a bridge leading out of the nation’s capital to Virginia. The car led investigators to Mr Ortega-Hernandez.
The FBI impounded his car this afternoon to continue the process of reviewing evidence, said Lindsay Godwin, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Washington field office.
Mr Ortega-Hernandez was arrested after a hotel desk clerk recognised his picture. He had been reported missing by his family on October 31st.
AP