A Dallas man who reportedly traveled to the nation’s capital for the purpose of killing “all white police” at the White House was arrested.
The Secret Service says its Protective Intelligence Division was notified at around 2:55 p.m. Monday by the Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland to be on the lookout for Michael Arega.
The Montgomery County police issued the lookout after being contacted by Arega’s wife in Texas about her husband’s threatening statements. Police responded to the Days Inn hotel in Silver Spring where Arega was staying at around 1:30 p.m. in an attempt to find him, but he was not there.
“Secret Service personnel at the White House immediately increased their posture of readiness and began searching for Arega,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
The Secret Service located Arega on the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue near Lafayette Park where he was detained and arrested by uniformed officers at around 4:05 p.m., officials say. He was not armed with a weapon when he was taken into custody.
Arega was taken to the Metropolitan Police Department afterwards and has been charged with making felony threats.
The investigation is ongoing, the Secret Service says.