Authorities in Maryland have taken a man into custody who is accused of entering one of the planes at the military installation that houses aircrafts used by senior government officials, including the president. A U.S. official told CBS News that the Joint Base Andrews (JBA) security breach did not impact the presidential fleet.
In a statement, JBA confirmed a male individual with two outstanding warrants accessed one of the C-40B aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing on Thursday night.
Joint Base Andrews said the man was unarmed and did not harm any personnel, and there is no indication that the individual has any links to extremist groups. The authorities at JBA turned over the man to local authorities because of his outstanding warrants, and he is in custody of the Prince George’s Maryland County Sheriff’s office.
The individual apparently drove onto the premises.
The Air Force said in a statement on Friday that the Inspector General will conduct an investigation into the breach as well as a comprehensive review of installations worldwide.
In addition to housing the presidential fleet, the base hosts the planes used by the vice president and other senior officials like the secretary of defense.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby in a briefing Friday said the base changed its security protocols in the wake of the breach, and everyone in the Department of Defense knows how serious of a matter this is.
David Martin contributed to this report.
