A Pennsylvania man arrested on Wednesday morning for making bomb threats near the White House was angry about regulations, according to authorities.
Shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, Krzystzof Wasik, 44, approached a guard office near the White House and claimed to have a bomb in his nearby truck.
{mosads}According to an affidavit submitted to the court, the bomb threat was a way for the man to complain about regulations on semi-trailer trucks. He hoped the threat would allow him to speak with President Obama.
The Secret Service officer he spoke with told the court in a statement, “He was upset about the rules and regulations concerning semi-trucks and was angry about fines that he had to pay.”
Wasik demanded to speak with the president twice, according to the court’s document. At first, the officer told Wasik to send his complaint to the relevant government agency and he walked off.
He returned shortly afterwards and threatened to explode a bomb unless he could speak with the president. “I know what it takes to get things done around here,” he told the Secret Service agent. “I have a bomb in my truck parked 500 feet from here.”
“I don’t care if children or veterans are harmed by the bomb,” he said. “I only care about speaking to the President.”
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Wasik was then arrested.
The man’s vehicle, a semi-cab tractor with Pennsylvania plates, was found nearby in front of the Veterans Affairs building. The Secret Service and police closed down nearby streets for two hours, investigated the truck and found no cause for concern. Police arrested Wasik on charges of making false threats.
Wasik is due in court on Friday.
Wasik’s complaint about regulations was first reported by the Washington City Paper.
This story was updated at 4:42 p.m.