Man with weapons arrested near White House

The Secret Service arrested a man with several weapons in his car near the White House. He told officials that voices in his head told him to come to Washington and kill President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security said. It was said that the man comes from Venezuela and is in the USA illegally. A semi-automatic rifle was among the three weapons in the car that was reported stolen.

The man is accused of, among other things, illegal transport of weapons and unlawful possession of weapons. He was arrested on Constitution Avenue south of the White House on Thursday evening after his behavior in the car struck security forces as suspicious.

A central task of the Secret Service is to protect the president and leading US politicians. The White House is heavily guarded and is currently secured with a high fence more extensively than before.