MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) - Federal authorities and a congressman said Wednesday they were continuing to investigate whether a Department of Homeland Security employee with a top-secret clearance was planning to attack at the agency's Washington headquarters when he entered the building with a gun and other weapons.
Jonathan Wienke, a 45-year-old analyst in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, so far only faces a handgun charge and is not in custody, pending further court proceedings. He is accused of carrying a gun, a knife, an infrared camera, pepper spray and handcuffs into headquarters on the morning of June 9. According to court documents filed by the federal government, investigators have probable cause to believe Wienke "was conspiring with another to commit workplace violence, and more particularly may have been conspiring or planning to commit violence against senior DHS officials in the building."
Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House committee on homeland security, said his committee would look into the matter.
"Initial reports of this incident are very troubling," McCaul said in a statement. "DHS has been in contact and we will continue to engage with the appropriate officials to gather all the facts."
The federal government searched Wienke's home in Martinsburg, West Virginia, a 75-mile commute from the office.
Martinsburg Deputy Police Chief George Swartwood said city police aided federal law enforcement in the search. He said he was unaware of any other city police calls to Wienke's address.
No one answered the door at Wienke's home, which is half of a duplex near an Amtrak station that federal workers use to commute to Washington. Wienke's defense attorney, Aminata Ipyana, did not return a message seeking comment.
Wienke was charged on June 10 with carrying a pistol without a license and was released three days later pending further court proceedings, court records show.
The case remains under investigation, said Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Scott McConnell, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said Wienke has been placed on administrative leave.