Suspect in shooting near White House arrested

Published : Nov 17, 2011 - 09:03 Updated : Nov 17, 2011 - 09:49

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A man wanted in an investigation of shots fired near the White House was arrested Wednesday in the state of Pennsylvania, a day after agents discovered two bullets had struck the executive mansion while President Barack Obama was away, the U.S. Secret Service said.

Law enforcement officers photograph a window at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, as seen from the South Lawn. A bullet hit an exterior window of the White House and was stopped by ballistic glass, the Secret Service said. An additional round of ammunition was found on the White House exterior. The bullets were found Tuesday morning. (AP-Yonhap News)

The Secret Service said it discovered Tuesday that the two bullets had hit the White House, one of them apparently cracking a window on the level of the president's living quarters, while Obama and his wife Michelle were on a trip to California and Hawaii. The president has since traveled on to Australia, his second stop on a nine-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region.

The discovery of bullet holes followed reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday night, although the bullets have not been conclusively connected with that shooting, authorities said. An assault rifle and an abandoned vehicle were found Friday, which led authorities to disclose they had linked Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez to the reported gunfire.

Ortega, 21, was arrested Wednesday afternoon by Pennsylvania authorities at a hotel in the southwest part of the state, the Secret Service said. He was in Pennsylvania State Police custody. A tip from someone who saw and identified Ortega led to his arrest, Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said.

Ortega did not resist arrest, said Pennsylvania State Trooper Lt. Brad Shilds. He will make his first court appearance Thursday in Pittsburgh, according to the staff of U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy.

Ortega is from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and was reported missing Oct. 31 by his family. On Friday morning, he was stopped by police in a Washington suburb after officers were called for a report of a suspicious person. Police took photos of him but did not have any reason to arrest him, according to police Lt. Joe Kantor.

Ortega has an arrest record in three states but has not been linked to any radical organizations, U.S. Park Police have said.

Witnesses on Friday reported hearing shots and seeing two speeding vehicles in the area. The assault rifle was recovered nearby and the abandoned car that authorities linked to Ortega was found near a bridge.

The bullet that hit the White House window was stopped by ballistic glass. The Secret Service did not disclose the location of the second bullet, saying only that it ``was found on the exterior of the White House.''

<한글 기사>

백악관 오바마 관저 총탄에 피격당해

관저 유리창•외벽 2발 피격..오바마는 부재중
21세 용의자 체포..특별한 인명피해 없어

미국 백악관이 지난 11일(현지시간) 총탄에 피격됐던 것으로 16일 뒤늦게 밝혀졌다.

미 언론은 이날 비밀경호국(US Secret Service)이 백악관에서 두 발의 총탄을 발견했다고 밝혔다고 전했다.

비밀경호국은 두 발의 총탄이 백악관을 맞췄으며 특히 한 발은 버락 오바마 대통령 가족이 거주하는 백악관 2층의 유리창을 맞춘 사실을 확인했다.

다행히 이 총탄은 외부유리창 뒤에 있는 방탄유리창에 막혀 백악관 내부로 통과 되지 않았고 이번 사건으로 다친 사람도 없는 것으로 전해졌다.

비밀경호국은 지난 11일 밤 백악관 인근에서 총성이 들린 뒤 조사를 벌였고, 16 일 펜실베이니아주에서 용의자를 체포했다.

오바마 대통령 내외는 아시아 순방을 위해 총성이 들린 11일 밤 백악관을 비운 상태였다. 당시 오바마는 캘리포니아주 샌디에이고에 정박된 항공모함 칼 빈슨호 갑 판에서 열린 농구경기를 관람하고 있었다.

백악관 유리창을 맞춘 총탄 외에 다른 한 발은 백악관 건물 외부를 맞췄다.

비밀경호국은 두 발의 총탄 모두 백악관 건물 남쪽에서 발견했다. 백악관 남쪽은 오바마 대통령의 침실과 링컨베드룸 등이 위치한 방향이다.

비밀경호국은 이들 총탄이 백악관 관저 남쪽 600∼700ｍ 밖에서 발사된 것으로 보고 있다.

경호국은 사건 당시 총탄 발사 추정지점 인근에서 2대의 차량이 지나간 것을 확 인했고, 이 가운데 한 대가 인근에 버려진 것을 발견했다. 확인결과 이 차량에는 반 자동 소총이 실려 있었다.

백악관은 용의자 추적에 나선 끝에 16일 오스카 오르테가-에르난데스(21)라는 청년을 펜실베이니아주 인디애나 인근의 한 호텔에서 체포했다. 용의자는 펜실베이니아에 구금돼 있으며 더 이상의 자세한 사항은 전해지지 않고 있다.

오르테가는 아이다호 출신으로 워싱턴에 거주하고 있었으며 가족들에 의해 지난 달 31일 실종신고가 돼 있었다고 미 언론은 전했다.

그는 지금까지 3차례 체포기록이 있으나 과격단체와 관련돼 체포된 적은 없었다 고 미 언론은 보도했다.