Federal prosecutors are investigating to find out if a Homeland Security employee was attempting to attack the D.C headquarters when he entered the building with a gun, a knife, pepper spray, handcuffs and an infrared camera.
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Jonathan Wienke, an analyst in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis allegedly brought the weapons into the D.C headquarters on June 9. According to court documents from the federal government, investigators have probable cause to believe Wienke and another person were planning to attack the headquarters and “may have been conspiring or planning to commit violence against senior DHS officials in the building.”
Wienke was put on administrative leave. Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in an email that on June 10, Wienke was charged of carrying a pistol without a license and then released on June 13 pending legal proceedings.
According to the affidavit for the search warrant, Wienke entered the building, which has the same security level as the White House and Pentagon, on June 9 at 7:30 am. Security officers found two hand-held radios, pepper spray, an infrared camera, a set of handcuffs and a folding knife in his backpack after he was selected for random screening at the building entrance.
At 9 a.m., Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Eric Mann and another officer went to Wienke’s cubicle which was directly across from where senior officials were having a meeting.
Wienke gave Mann and the other officer permission to search him. They found a loaded five-shot revolver with .22 caliber hollow-point rounds in the front pocket of his pants. He then let out an expletive, documents said.
Multiple potential crimes were listed in the affidavit for the search warrant such as kidnap or assault of a member of the executive branch of the government, possession of a firearm in a federal facility, false impersonation of a federal officer and attempt and conspiracy to assassinate.
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