Maryland officials arrested a man accused of boarding one of the planes at the military facility that houses aircraft used by senior government officials, including the president. A US official told CBS News that the security breach at the Andrews Joint Base (JBA) did not affect the presidential fleet.
In a statement, the JBA confirmed that a male individual with two pending warrants accessed one of the C-40B aircraft assigned to the 89th Air Wing on Thursday night.
Andrews Joint Base said the man was unarmed and did no harm to anyone, and there is no indication that the individual has any connection to extremist groups. JBA officials handed the man over to local authorities because of his pending warrants, and he is in the custody of Prince George’s Maryland sheriff’s office.
The individual apparently drove to the scene.
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 facilities around the world.
In addition to hosting the presidential fleet, the base houses the planes used by the vice president and other officials such as the secretary of defense.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, at a briefing on Friday, said the base had changed its security protocols after the breach, and everyone in the Department of Defense knows how serious the issue is.
David Martin contributed to this report.