NEW: from the viewfinder of @abdallahcnn. A robot inspects the trunk of the suspect’s car. Still parked outside the White House.
Sean Patrick Keoughan is accused of driving up to a White House checkpoint and allegedly claiming to have a bomb in the car.
The 29-year-old man was taken into custody at the checkpoint just after 11 p.m. on March 18, CNN is reporting.
He did not actually have a bomb, reported ABC News, which said Keoughan was arrested “for alleged false bomb threats and unauthorized use of a vehicle, the police report said.”
Here’s what you need to know:
A Robot Was Deployed to Check the Car & Keoughan Allegedly Told Police It Was a ‘Test’
A photo posted on Twitter by a CNN reporter showed a robot inspecting the man’s car.
According to NBC News, the suspect is accused in a police report of saying, “this is a test” before police took him to the ground.
According to NBC, the man “said he had a bomb in his car as he drove up to a checkpoint.” Specifically, reported NBC, he allegedly said he had a bomb in his trunk while “clasping something in his right hand.”
The late evening March 18 incident comes on the heels of heightened security concerns after a man breached security by hopping over a White House fence.
2. Keoughan Is Accused of Driving a Stolen Car With Indiana Plates & White House Security Was Heightened as the Car Was Checked
#BREAKING A car drove up to a White House checkpoint- driver claimed to have a bomb. Area around WH closed off.
NBC News reports that Keoughan was driving a stolen car with Indiana plates, according to police. It was reported stolen in Roanoke, Virginia, NBC reported. According to the Daily Beast, Keoughan is from Virginia.
CNN reported that extra precautions were being taken as the car was checked and the driver in custody.
According to a CNBC reporter, the car drove up to the checkpoint at 11:05 p.m., and the Secret Service declared the vehicle “suspicious.
The checkpoint in question was located at 15th Street and East Street NW, according to a Secret Service statement obtained by the reporter.
3. A Reporter Described a Bomb Squad Member Dressed Like a Character in the Movie ‘Hurt Locker’
After the man was taken into custody, streets around the White House were closed as a security measure, CNN reported. According to CNN, the situation was “ongoing.”
CNN reporter Ryan Nobles reported on Twitter, “We just saw a bomb squad member dressed in full gear (like the Hurt Locker) pulling things out of the trunk and inspecting them.”
He also tweeted, around 2 a.m. EST, “It appears that the car is still running and in the same spot it was when the incident began almost three hours ago.”
The Guardian reported that the Secret Service said that the agency had “increased their posture of readiness.”
The CNN report about the alleged bomb threat cited anonymous sources in law enforcement.
4. There Were Two Other Security Scares Around the White House
Secret Service arrests bike rack jumper near White House fence, criminal charges pending t.co/6Z2XmTrzzu
The car driving up to the checkpoint was the second security scare outside the White House on March 18. Earlier in the day, a man taken into custody after being accused of breaching a buffer zone around the White House. That man did not jump the White House fence, contrary to earlier reports.
Individual jumped bike rack on Pennsylvania Ave, not @WhiteHouse fence. Great response by @SecretService
CBS News reported that man was arrested “after jumping over a bike rack in an apparent attempt to get to the White House fence.” No one was injured and no weapons were found in that incident, CBS News reported.
Judge releases accused WH intruder Jonathan Tran on own recognizance to return to CA. Must wear ankle monitor & surrender passport.
The security incidents come after a California man was taken into custody after he allegedly jumped a White House fence and made it close to an entrance to the White House residence. That man reportedly had a letter for President Donald Trump and a copy of one of the President’s books.
Jonathan Tran was allegedly stressed out about a job layoff. The Secret Service was criticized in that incident because Tran is accused of wandering around the White House grounds for 17 minutes before being spotted.
5. Donald Trump & His Family Were Not at the White House
US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, walk to Marine One prior to departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2017, as they travel for the weekend to West Palm Beach, Florida. (Getty)
Trump was not in Washington D.C. when the latest checkpoint incident occurred. The president is at Mar-a-Lago with his wife, Melania, and their son, Barron.
You can see photos of the Trumps leaving for their weekend trip here:
