A 33-year-old Washington resident was charged with directing a laser pointer at President Donald Trump’s helicopter, Marine One, near the White House on September 20.
Incident Details
The incident occurred on Saturday, September 20, near the White House. The 33-year-old man, a resident of Washington, has been accused of directing a laser pointer at the presidential helicopter, Marine One, which had President Donald Trump on board.
The US Secret Service reported that the man was seen walking on the sidewalk, shirtless and speaking loudly to himself. When a Secret Service officer shone a flashlight at him, he responded by shining the red laser beam at the officer. Subsequently, as Marine One flew overhead, the man allegedly looked up and directed the laser pointer at the helicopter.
Charges and Potential Consequences
The man faces charges related to directing a laser pointer at an aircraft. According to prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, such behavior endangers Marine One and everyone on board. He could face up to five years in prison.
Telecommunications Threat Neutralized
On September 23, the Secret Service announced that it had dismantled a significant telecommunications threat in the New York area, ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The Secret Service secured over 300 SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The devices were concentrated within a 35-mile radius of the UN meeting location and could have been used to disable cell towers, conduct denial-of-service attacks, or provide encrypted communication for potential perpetrators and criminal groups.
