Jordanian Nationals Involved in Quantico Security Breach Were Known to U.S. Authorities

Two Jordanian nationals were known to federal authorities before they attempted to breach security at Quantico Marine Corps Base.

The first unidentified man was admitted into the U.S. on a student visa on September 11, 2022, which expired 18 weeks later, on January 14, 2023. The second man crossed the U.S. from Mexico to California six weeks ago, on April 8, 2024. The next day, the U.S. Border Patrol issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge and, later that day, released the man into the U.S.

Just 24 days later, on May 3, 2024, ICE agents detained both men after military police at Quantico’s main gate on Fuller Road said the driver of a box truck ignored commands to wait patiently on the side of the road while they worked to identify the two men inside the truck, who did not have ID. Instead, the driver hit the gas and collided with a hydraulic barricade, known on base as a vehicle denier. This metal contraption rises from the street to prevent unauthorized entry into the critical military installation 37 miles south of the nation’s capital. No one was injured.

The two men have not been identified, and both remain in ICE custody awaiting the outcome of their removal proceedings, according to a May 24 statement from ICE, which adds, “ICE has no information that would suggest either noncitizen is associated with any organization that would pose a public safety or national security threat.”

Multiple sources told Potomac Local News at least one of the men is on a terror watch list, which is maintained by the FBI, an agency that has not made a statement about the security breach. Its prestigious training academy sits on Quantico Marine Corps Base.

ICE’s statement comes one day after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared on Fox News demanding the Biden Administration provide him with a full briefing on the events that occurred on May 3. In a letter to the president, Youngkin expressed his frustration with federal authorities, who he said kept him and the public in the dark following the attempted security breach.

“The White House, ICE, nor the military police have yet to disclose any public information on the names of those involved in the breach, if they were in the country illegally, or if they are on the terrorism watch list. While revealing the names of those involved could interfere with deportation proceedings, Virginia’s Public Safety and Homeland Security leadership and I deserve to know the nature of the threats occurring in our backyard,” he wrote.

Youngkin also demanded the contents of the box truck driven by the two men who used to ram the gate. The federal government has yet to say what was inside the car, though multiple sources tell Potomac Local News the truck contained boxes with no weapons. The would-be intruders posed as Amazon employees and told the gate sentry they were headed to the Quantico town post office to make a delivery. It’s not known if the two men worked for Amazon.

In September 2023, The U.S. House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security and Enforcement held a hearing on terrorist entry through the U.S. Southwest border. During the proceeding, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California) said of the nearly 6 million immigrants who have illegally crossed the border since Biden has been president, 146 were found to have been on the terror watch list, while 1.7 million evaded Border Patrol and are considered “got-aways.”

“Why would 1.7 million illegal aliens want to invade the Border Patrol? The only two reasons I can think of are that they are either hiding criminal records or they are conducting criminal acts,” McClintock said during the hearing.

The May 3, 2024, incident at Quantico follows several other similar incidents at military bases across the U.S. and the White House, where foreign nationals have used vehicles to ram the front gates. Just two days before the run on the Quantico gate, a driver was killed after he attempted to breach security gate at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story near Virginia Beach and collided with a hydraulic barricade.

Two days after Quantico, a driver slammed into a security gate at The White House and was killed after his car exploded.

On March 27, a Chinese national was killed after he rammed the gate at Twentynine Palms, near San Bernardino, California. On April 5, three people inside a car were injured after the vehicle rammed the gate at San Diego Naval Base. One sailor manning the entrance also suffered injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.

Federal authorities have not released the names of anyone involved in these incidents.

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