An internal US Air Force investigation released Thursday said that a bodyguard, distracted by his personal problems, allowed an intruder to enter the military base housing Air Force One Air Force One Air Force One last month.
Inspector General of the US Air Force, Sami Saeed, told reporters that the person, whose identity has not been revealed, spent more than five hours at Andrews Military Base near Washington, and boarded an official plane and was not arrested, because he was wearing a funny hat. .
An investigation into this incident, which took place on February 4, revealed a series of errors after the initial break-in.
At Base Andrews, which welcomes foreign dignitaries to Washington, US official aircraft are stationed, notably the Air Force One Air Force One. So the security measures are particularly strict and entries are filtered by guards who verify the identity of each person.
On that day, however, one of the guards, who said he was “distracted due to personal problems,” did not check the papers of the man who arrived in the car at one of the entrances to the staff base, according to the report, the Inspector General.
Then the individual wandered around the base for several hours, by car and then on foot, before ending up in the hall designated for distinguished visitors. When asked what he’s doing there, he left and walked toward the amphitheater, which should have been protected by lattice doors.
But only on that day, the door did not close properly and was able to slip into the hatch. He then walked down the tarmac to a C-40, a military version of a Boeing 737, with the crew in the formation.
They did not ask him any questions, thinking he was an authorized person. Il est resté quelques minutes à bord avant de repartir et ce n’est qu’à sa descente de l’avion qu’il a été interpellé, une aviatrice ayant trouvé suspect de voir un individu coiffé d’un bonnet à pompons déambuler sur Al-Qaeda.
Although his actions could not be proven for several hours, the inspector general said he was “100% sure” that the man was not able to approach Air Force One.
“Physically, it was very far away, but above all, the security checks that this person had to pass before approaching Air Force One make it impossible for him to pass it,” he stressed. “This area is exceptionally safe.”
The man, who had no aggressive intentions, is being tried for illegally entering the base. The inspector general said that the dispersed guard had been subject to penalties, without specifying the nature of the punishment.
