Armed Venezuelan Man Arrested Near White House After Alleged Trump Death Threat

Arrest Near White House

Law enforcement officers discovered a Venezuelan national asleep inside a parked blue Ford F-150 pickup truck near the White House at approximately 11:42 p.m. on November 5. [2] An officer approached the vehicle initially as a welfare check before the encounter led to an arrest. [2] The suspect was identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national who had entered the United States illegally. [2] Officers recovered multiple firearms and ammunition from the vehicle after the suspect volunteered to surrender the weapons. [2] The Department of Homeland Security stated that the arrest occurred following the discovery of the weapons inside the pickup truck. [2]

Suspect's Statements to Officers

During the interaction, Chrinos used Google Translate to communicate with officers and informed them that he had weapons inside the vehicle. [2] He stated, “I have the item they wanted to kill me over, along with the outfit to go with it; if you want, I can hand it over without putting up any resistance.” [2] Chrinos also said, “I have the gun because they tried to kill me with it, and I had to take it away from them; it’s in the brown bag.” [2] He claimed that he heard voices in his head telling him to come to Washington, D.C., and kill President Trump. [2] Court documents indicate that Chrinos told investigators the pickup truck belonged to his employer, who had lent it to him, and that he had purchased the firearms approximately a month earlier while living inside the vehicle. [2] Officials noted that the vehicle had previously been reported stolen. [2]

Weapons and Charges

Officers recovered an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 handgun, and a Glock 43X pistol along with ammunition from the pickup truck. [2] Chrinos faces charges including carrying a rifle outside a home or business, three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm, three counts involving unregistered firearms, and three counts involving unregistered ammunition. [2] Additional charges include possession of certain dangerous weapons, carrying a pistol without a licence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft, and receiving stolen property. [2] The suspect is being held in federal custody under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service. [2]

Official Reactions

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin credited Secret Service personnel for identifying the potential threat and taking action before anyone was harmed, stating, “Thanks to our brave Secret Service officers, [the suspect] was arrested near the White House before he could harm anyone.” [2] U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran expressed concern about the growing number of security threats involving individuals approaching the White House complex. [2] Curran said the incident reflected the heightened threat environment and the continued number of armed individuals drawn to the White House complex. [2] He added that while personnel are trained to respond to such situations, officials remain alarmed by the increase in threat cases. [2] The department highlighted the arrest as an example of rising numbers of armed individuals approaching the White House complex. [2]

Separate Aviation and Theft Incidents

A note claiming that an IndiGo flight would be hijacked was discovered in the toilet of flight 6E 451 approximately 30 minutes after takeoff from Bengaluru to Lucknow, prompting the pilot to return to the airport. [3] The note stated, “This plane is going to get hijacked exactly at 6.30,” but authorities declared it a hoax after a 90-minute search, and the flight later continued its journey. [3] In a separate case, police in Larnaca arrested a 34-year-old domestic worker on suspicion of sending €42,000 belonging to her 81-year-old employer abroad through money transfer companies. [4] The case was reported after a relative found suspicious transactions on the employer’s bank card dating back to August, and officers seized three mobile phones, €620 in cash, and gold jewellery worth €1,600 from the suspect’s room. [4] The suspect is due to appear before Larnaca district court. [4]

What to watch next: Officials have noted the continued number of armed individuals drawn to the White House complex amid an increase in threat cases.