Man held for unlawfully entering White House was armed: US Attorney's Office

, Sept 21: The man arrested in Texas on Friday for intruding into the

was armed with a knife, the US Attorney's Office said on Saturday, the

. The intruder climbed the fence and made it into the mansion after President Barack Obama had left.

Earlier, the US Secret Service had said that the man, Omar Gonzalez, aged 42, was unarmed.

Gonzalez was charged with entering a restricted building illegally while carrying a "deadly or dangerous weapon", said an affidavit released by attorney's office. It also said that Gonzalez, when being caught, told a secret service agent that he wanted to tell the US president that the atmosphere was collapsing so that he could inform the people about this.

If convicted, Gonzalez faces upto 10 years in prison.

The incident, one of the most significant since Obama became the president six years ago, raised serious questions about the security apparatus at the White House.

Oneindia News