Authorities in Maryland have arrested a man accused of entering one of the planes at the military facility, which houses planes used by senior government officials, including the president. A US official told CBS News that the Joint Base Andrews’ (JBA) security breach did not affect the presidential fleet.
In a statement, JBA confirmed that a man with two outstanding warrants received access to one of the C-40B aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing on Thursday night.
The joint base Andrews said the man was unarmed and did not harm any staff, and there is no indication that the person has any ties to extremist groups. Authorities at JBA have handed the man over to local authorities over his outstanding warrants, and he is in custody at Prince George’s sheriff’s office in Maryland County.
The individual apparently drove on the premises.
The air force said in a statement on Friday that the inspector general would investigate the breach, as well as a comprehensive review of installations worldwide.
In addition to housing the presidential navy, the base offers the aircraft used by the vice president and other senior officials such as the secretary of defense.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in an information session Friday that the base has changed its security protocols following the offense, and everyone in the Department of Defense knows how serious it is.
David Martin contributed to this report.