Congress

Secret Service: Man at White House Wanted to Kill ‘All White Police'

Arega is the latest of several people arrested outside the White House or U.S. Capitol

A man was arrested outside the White House Monday after the Secret Service says they learned he traveled to D.C. to kill "all white police."

Michael Arega, of Dallas, Texas, was spotted on Pennsylvania Avenue near Lafayette Park about 4:05 p.m., the Secret Service said in a statement. He was immediately detained and arrested without incident.

A little more than an hour earlier, the Secret Service Protective Intelligence division was told to be on the lookout for Arega.

Arega was charged with making felony threats. Police said he was not armed at the time of his arrest.

Arega is the latest of several people arrested outside the White House or U.S. Capitol. The cases include a fast-rising number of White House fence jumpers and people deliberately violating security perimeters on Capitol grounds.

The I-Team’s review reveals the legal system is struggling to prevent the risk of repeat offenders. Almost all of those arrested since 2014 are free from custody, many are undergoing mental health or competency screenings, several have violated court orders to stay away from government buildings, and at least two of them are missing and being sought by law enforcement.

White House and U.S. Capitol Security Breaches Since 2014:

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Federal law enforcement agencies do not release official counts or lists of arrests at the White House or Capitol, so the I-Team scoured four years of federal court records to compile an exhaustive list of cases since 2014, some of which were not publicized by authorities. An overwhelming majority of the cases involved men and women who reside far from the metropolitan Washington, D.C., region and made long trips to commit the breaches.

According to former U.S. Secret Service employees, the I-Team’s findings raise concern fence jumpers are spawning copycats and increasing the risk to government officials and tourists who gather along White House and U.S. Capitol grounds.

Former agent Robert Caltabiano said an incendiary political culture and social media are fueling anger and protest.

“Unfortunately, I think we’re going to see more of this,” Caltabiano said. “The vitriol, the fighting of people just going to events.”

“If you look at how people view Congress and the president, I think there’s the angst of people are so fed up with certain things,” he said.

CORRECTION (Nov. 6, 2017, 7:09 p.m. ET): The Secret Service said Michael Arega wanted to kill "all white police," not "all white people."

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