An individual employed with the Department of Homeland Security was arrested after security officers discovered a concealed handgun.
A US Department of Homeland Security employee has been placed on administrative leave and charged with a gun violation while authorities probe if he was planning a workplace attack, US media said Wednesday.
According to The Washington Post, 45-year-old West Virginia resident Jonathan Wienke was charged with carrying a pistol without a license on June 10.
He allegedly had been caught entering the DHS headquarters in Washington with a gun, a knife, an infrared camera, pepper spray and handcuffs, according to court documents reviewed by the Post.
Later, authorities allegedly found a .22-caliber handgun in his pocket.
"An individual employed with the Department of Homeland Security was arrested Thursday, June 9, 2016 after security officers discovered a concealed handgun," DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said in an emailed statement.
He did not confirm the employee's identity but said he was detained, turned over to police and arrested. He was subsequently placed on leave.
Court documents state Wienke had a concealed-weapons permit in West Virginia and no criminal history, but that authorities were probing whether he and "other individuals, known and unknown," were "planning to commit violence against senior DHS officials in the building," according to the Post.
His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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