attack Pentagon by ethiopian
Tamirat Tilahun Yehualawork, a 36-year-old Ethiopian immigrant, has been arrested after an attempted attack on the Pentagon.
Tamirat set out to attack the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, on October 28. He claimed to have wanted to “kill Americans” and also reportedly screamed “F**k America” while he resisted arrest.
The attacker, according to the affidavit filed against him by the United States District Court, “used a vehicle as a weapon to intimidate, resist, and impede federal police officers while engaged in their official duties.”
The affidavit also states that Tamirat “is an Ethiopian national who entered the United States on a visa, but whose current immigration status is unclear.” According to reports, Tamirat has a listed residence in a city called Falls Church in Virginia.
Tamirat reportedly drove his Ford Expedition into the Pentagon compound despite the Pentagon police’s attempt to stop him with a block bridge, according to a Special Agent working with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. An officer then tried getting Tamirat’s attention with the use of a flashlight.
The officer stated that “once he got Tamirat’s attention, he accelerated the vehicle towards him. The officer took cover, pointed his weapon at the vehicle, and began giving verbal commands that Tamirat ignored,” the statement continues.
The officers were able to stop Tamirat by cornering his vehicle with their cruisers against a parked car in the Pentagon mall. Even then, Tamirat refused to listen to any of the officers’ commands and had to be forced to exit his vehicle. He also continued to resist as the officers tried to place him in handcuffs.
As he was being placed under arrest and after his Miranda rights were read, Tamirat reportedly told the officers, “I hate America, and I was trying to kill people,” after yelling out “F**k America,” according to the statement on the affidavit.
Tamirat has been placed under arrest and has been moved to the Alexandria Adult Detention Center. Tamirat is facing charges for assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and employees and for trespassing on property not open to the public.
Tamirat had no prior criminal records prior to his arrest, according to CBS News. He is currently under the custody of the US Marshals, and a Virginia judge has ordered that he be detained pending future hearings in the case.
