Johathan Tuan-Anh Tran, 26, of Milpitas, Calif. scaled the fence at the White House at 11:38 p.m. Friday and told a Secret Service officer he had an appointment with Donald Trump. According to a report by The Mercury News, Tran is a graduate from San Jose State University. Tran had two cans of mace in his jacket pocket, along with a letter to the president, reportedly relating to “Russian hackers.” The intruder scaled the fence and walked alongside the White House, hiding behind a pillar, before Secret Service agents tracked him down.
According to an affidavit by the Secret Service, Tran had traveled around 200 yards into the White House grounds before he was apprehended.
According to reports, no alarms had sounded, which raises questions about security on the premises.
Tran 'had an appointment' with Trump
On being apprehended, Tran told the officer that he had an appointment with the president and that he was a friend of Trump. He also reportedly said that he had been deemed schizophrenic in the past. On searching his backpack, officers found the man’s U.S. passport, an Apple laptop and a book about Trump. The laptop contained a letter, addressed by Tran to Donald Trump, discussing “Russian hackers” and telling the president that he had relevant information about them. He also mentioned that he was being followed and that someone was monitoring his phone and his email.
According to a federal law enforcement official, Tran has no prior history with the Secret Service and no criminal record. When he appeared in court Saturday, he was considered a flight and safety risk. Tran was charged with illegally entering a restricted area and carrying a dangerous weapon. He was ordered to be detained over the weekend by a District of Columbia Superior Court judge and is heading to federal court on Monday, where he could face up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.
Intruder breaches White House grounds https://t.co/aDv33X2o0t #Sovereignty pic.twitter.com/UK9Pjhy74e
— Our President Trump (@OurMrTrump) March 11, 2017
Tran was 'troubled' after losing his job
CNN quotes Brian Tran, 19, the intruder’s brother, as saying Tran graduated with an engineering degree from San Jose State University but had recently lost his job.
According to Brian, his brother had been living in his car and subsisting on junk food.
Donald Trump praised the Secret Service for their work
On Saturday, Trump, who was apparently at the White House on Friday night, praised the Secret Service for what he called a “fantastic job” in arresting Tran. He told reporters from his northern Virginia golf course that the incident was “very sad.”
