White House shooting suspect found to be obsessed with Obama

Washington, Nov 17: A Hispanic man with an apparent obsession with President Barack Obama and considered to be violent and unstable, drove within sight of the White House and emptied his assault rifle, cracking a window pane, authorities said today (Nov 17).

Hinting that the shooting could have been a pre-mediated attack on the presidential mansion, police arrested the suspect, the 21-year-old Hispanic man Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Herndandez from a hotel in Pennsylvania, a week after bullet marks were discovered in the White House.

Ortega, who police believes was dressed in dark for his plot on the White House was arrested with the help of US Secret Service, who act as presidential bodyguards after they found two bullets had hit the White House.

In new details unfolding about the shootout, the secret service said the window at the White House that was hit was infront of the so-called Yellow Oval room, which is located right at the heart of the living quarters of the presidential mansion.

They said, shots were fired at the White House on Friday last and that another bullet had hit the exterior of a window on the second floor.

Both the bullets were unable to penetrate the ballistic glass cover behind all window panes of the Executive Mansion.

Ortega was arrested by the police on suspicion of being involved in the shooting, US Secret Service said.

A bullet was found having smashed into the living quarters of the presidential mansion, but was stopped in its track by ballistic glass, while Obama and the first lady Michelle were away on a trip to Asia.

"On Wednesday afternoon at approximately 12:35 pm, based on information generated by Secret Service agents from the Pittsburgh Field Office, Pennsylvania state police troop located and arrested Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Herndandez at a hotel near Indiana, Pennsylvania," Secret Service Special agent in Charge Edwin Donovan said.

Ortega-Hernandez is currently in the custody of the Pennsylvania State Police, Donovan said.

Ortega who is suspected to be involved in the shooting was apparently last seen running from a bridge near the White House, before being arrested yesterday.

One AK-47 was recovered from the vehicle near the White House which is believed was abandoned by him after he fired shots, in which no one was injured.

Given the shooting in the proximity of the White House, the Secret Service opened an investigation into the incident.

Yesterday the Secret Service recovered one of the bullets that had hit a White House window.

A police bulletin said that Ortega was known to have mental health issues and was considered unstable with violent tendencies.

Media reports said the Hispanic considered his attack on the White House as a mission from God. The reports quoted police as saying that the suspect appeared to be obsessed with the American first family.

Though the secret service and the police are not yet linking the shooting to bullet marks found in the executive mansion, the secret service is carrying out an extensive assessment of the exterior of the White House.

PTI