PITTSBURGH, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the Idaho man accused of firing rifle shots at the White House, was charged Thursday with trying to assassinate President Obama.
An affidavit made public after Ortega-Hernandez's appearance in federal court in Pittsburgh said the 21-year-old "increasingly become more agitated against the federal government." The federal magistrate ordered the suspect be kept in custody until he is transported to U.S. District Court in Washington for prosecution, The Washington Post reported.
Witnesses say they saw Ortega-Hernandez stop his car in front of the White House Friday and open fire on the building. The president and first lady Michelle Obama had left for San Diego hours before and no one was injured.
Ortega-Hernandez fled the scene, ditching his vehicle nearby, police allege. He was arrested Wednesday in western Pennsylvania at a hotel he had visited prior to the shooting -- hotel employees recognized him from a photograph.
The man allegedly had driven 1,800 miles from his home in Idaho Falls, telling acquaintances he "needed to kill" Obama because he was the problem with the government.
