US authorities arrest armed man near White House over alleged threat to kill Trump

The US Department of Homeland Security said on Friday that Secret Service officers arrested a man near the White House after he allegedly told them he had come to Washington, D.C., to kill President Donald Trump. The department identified the suspect as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, according to a statement cited by NBC News.

According to the department, Secret Service officers approached Chrinos because he was acting suspiciously while parked on Constitution Avenue. "When they confronted the suspect, he said that he heard voices in his head telling him to come to Washington, D.C. and kill President Trump," the DHS statement said. Federal officials said Chrinos was in the country illegally and was sitting in a vehicle that had been reported stolen.

A Secret Service police officer affidavit filed in court states that Chrinos, 26, was asleep in a parked blue Ford F-150 when officers woke and confronted him at 11:42 p.m. on Thursday. Officials said he told the officers there were weapons inside the vehicle. A search then turned up an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 handgun, a Glock 43X pistol and ammunition, according to DHS.

The case is the latest in a series of security incidents involving the White House and the sitting president. The Secret Service is responsible for protecting the president and the executive residence, and suspects intercepted near the complex are typically referred for federal prosecution.

No injuries were reported, and the department did not provide further details on the suspect's background or on any charges filed at the time of the statement. The affidavit was filed in court in connection with the arrest.

According to Mehr News, the Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest on Friday and said the suspect had been approached after officers observed suspicious behavior in a parked vehicle on Constitution Avenue.