Marine Corps Base Quantico has announced a series of live-fire training exercises scheduled from August 26 to August 30.

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Virginia State Senator Tara Durant (R) revealed reports of two additional intrusions at Quantico Marine Corps Base following the arrests of two men from Jordan who were in the U.S. illegally. Potomac Local News broke the story and told you the men were arrested after allegedly posing as Amazon delivery drivers and ramming the front gate of the military installation on May 3, 2023.

Durant said the additional incursions occurred on May 3, the same day two Jordanian nationals in the U.S. illegally posed as Amazon delivery men. “I heard about it from somebody I know who works at Quantico, and he first alerted me to the first breach,” said Durant. “He has since alerted me that there have been two more breaches that occurred on the same day. I don’t think that’s come out yet.”

The two men from Jordan, Hasan Y. Hamdan and Mohammad K. Dabous, attended their first hearing on July 22 at the Alexandria courthouse. Both men, accompanied by an Arabic translator, were charged with Class B misdemeanors for allegedly trespassing on a military facility, charges which carry up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The judge supported conditions for release, and both men have been released, with their next hearings scheduled for September.

On May 22, Governor Glenn Youngkin penned a letter to President Joseph Biden requesting a full briefing about the incident. This request came 20 days after the breach and 12 days after Potomac Local broke the news of the attack. The governor has provided no new information following this request.

Durant mentioned her efforts to obtain more information about these breaches. “I connected him [Attorney General Jason Miyares], who was just so frustrated because there are a lot more attempts at breaches that are happening, and I don’t think that it’s out in the public sphere, and it should be.”

Potomac Local broke the story of the initial intrusion at Quantico, which followed days of pressing officials for information. Sources tell us one of the men is on the FBI terror watch list, something federal officials have not confirmed or denied. When asked about the terror watch list angle, Durant stated, “I’m hearing the same information, but I think we need to find out a lot more about these other attempted breaches. Are they testing to see where the weak points are and setting the stage for something that’s more nefarious?”

Quantico officials have not responded to a request to comment on this story.

Durant expressed support for Governor Youngkin’s request for answers: “I am grateful for it, and I encourage it. We need to get answers for it. I can’t confirm that I know any more about that type of information, but I certainly intend to keep pushing to find out more.”

The Quantico Train Station’s new construction will be completed by early 2025 and will feature a pedestrian bridge and extended platforms to improve transit efficiency and safety for the 6,000 daily passengers.

Press release

The Quantico Train Station’s new construction is scheduled to be completed before the start of 2025, improving the transit efficiency and commuter experience for the 6,000 daily passengers who use and pass through the station.

The improvements include a pedestrian bridge that sits above the tracks, leading pedestrians to all three platforms, which are also to be extended.
“It will be nice when they get it all done, and we don’t have to wait anymore at the crosswalk for trains coming through,” said George Ramsey, a MCCS Quantico Marine Corps Community Services employee on MCBQ and frequent train passenger. “There are many, many, many times I remember getting stuck on one side or the other because of a train you weren’t expecting to come through while waiting for a train.”

Virginia Railway Express Chief Engineer Dallas Richards explained many of its new features and how it will improve the safety for commuters and pedestrians.
“The bridge includes three staircases and three elevators which will help commuters get to all three platforms safely,” said Richards, and emphasized that “both extended platforms will allow commuters to board and deboard all eight passenger cars at the same time, which will be much safer and efficient.”
The project will also add a third track, improving the fluidity between the different organizations.

Originally built in 1953, the Quantico Train Station was totally renovated by the VRE in April of 2005, and these new renovations mark the largest change to alleviate commuter congestion.

“The third track reduces delays and will give VRE, Amtrak and freight rail, the capability of using all three tracks to limit congestion,” said Brett Sanders, the CSX lead engineer.

From the start, he mentioned, the success of the project couldn’t have happened without everyone working together.

“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band will perform at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on August 22. The concert will start at 7 p.m. in the museum’s outdoor plaza.

The band, the premier band of the United States Marine Corps, will play various music. This includes patriotic and martial favorites, selections from the wind band repertoire, works by contemporary composers, and scores from film and theatre.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets. The Museum, Medal of Honor Theater, Rifle Range, and Museum Store will stay open for extended hours until the concert starts. Tun Tavern will offer service from 4 to 6 p.m., and outdoor concessions will be available during the performance. Admission and parking are free, and no tickets are required.

Updates will be posted on the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Facebook page in bad weather.

Event Details:
– When:Thursday, August 22, 7:00 p.m.
– Where: National Museum of the Marine Corps, 1775 Semper Fidelis Way, Triangle, VA 22172

About the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation:
The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, established in 1979, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Marine Corps history. The Foundation supports historical programs of the Marine Corps through grants, scholarships, and the renovation, restoration, and commissioning of historical Marine Corps artifacts and landmarks. The Foundation funded the construction of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center and continues to expand its programs. More information can be found at MarineHeritage.org.

Almost three months after two men in a box truck attempted to illegally access Marine Corps Base Quantico, the names of the two suspects have been obtained.

Hasan Y. Hamdan and Mohammad K. Dabous attended their first hearing July 22 at the Alexandria courthouse. Both men, accompanied by an Arabic translator, were charged with Class B misdemeanors for allegedly trespassing on a military facility on May 3, charges which carry up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The judge supported conditions for release, and both men have been released with their next hearings in September. They both requested a court-appointed attorney.

“The Department of Justice, Department of Defense, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the FBI all circled wagons to guard even the identities of the two Jordanians against five written congressional inquiries, a sixth by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin seeking government briefings about the incident, and most recently a subpoena by the Republican-led House Homeland Security Committee of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,” reports Todd Bensman with Center for Immigration Studies.  Read more here.

Marine Corps Base Quantico will conduct various training exercises from July 9 to July 17, 2024.

The base has been providing training services since 1917 and currently supports over 40 federal organizations, the Department of Defense, and multiple regional and local law enforcement agencies.

The training schedule is as follows:

July 9, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Live Fire Demo 50lbs and Below (Frag)

July 10, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Live Fire Demo 50lbs and Below (Frag), .50 Cal

July 11, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Live Fire Demo 50lbs and Below (Frag), .50 Cal

July 12, 5 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Live Fire Demo 50lbs and Below (Frag), Bangalore, Claymores

July 15, 5 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Live Fire Demo 25lbs and Below (Frag), Bangalore, Claymores

July 16, 7 – 11 p.m.
Live Fire 60mm Mortars

July 17, 7 a.m. – July 19, 4 a.m.
Live Fire 60mm Mortars, .50 Cal, Missiles, Rockets

The base advises residents and nearby communities to be aware of the overnight training activities.

It has been over two months since two Jordanian nationals attempted to breach the gates of Marine Corps Base Quantico, and officials still have not released the identity of the two men arrested. They also offered no explanation as to why state and local officials were not notified.

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Republican lawmakers have lodged five deadline information requests to President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security for information that would enlighten the American public about a Jordanian border-crosser May 3 truck-ramming attack on the Quantico Marine Corps Base in northern Virginia along with a co-conspirator here on a student visa, reports Todd Bensman at the Center for Immigration Studies.

By Bethany Blankley

(The Center Square) – A group of 21 Republican U.S. senators, led by Sen. Ted Budd, R-NC, is demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about federal agents releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. who weren’t properly vetted and were later discovered to have alleged terrorist connections.

They sent a letter to Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray after the U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman and a retired CIA director raised warnings about potential terrorist attacks happening on U.S. soil before the end of the year, The Center Square reported.

“President Biden is derelict in his duty to protect and defend our country,” Budd said. “These incidents highlight the extreme national security risks posed by the open southern border. We need to expose what happened here, and make sure it never happens again. We need to secure the border and stop the chaos.”

The senators express alarm after eight Tajikistan nationals with alleged terrorist ties to ISIS illegally entered the U.S. and were released by Border Patrol agents or used the CBP One app through the president’s and Mayorkas’ “lawful pathways” program to enter the U.S. instead of being vetted, arrested on the spot and prevented entry.

“We are deeply concerned by reports that a wiretap shows that one of the now-arrested individuals was talking about bombs and that the target of the wiretap was previously released by federal authorities at the southern border with a court date of next year,” they said. They are referring to Border Patrol agents releasing inadmissible illegal foreign nationals into the country by giving them “notice to appear” documents to appear before an immigration judge several years into the future, The Center Square has reported.

Because the alleged terrorists weren’t properly vetted, as is a consistent problem identified by the Office of Inspector General, it was only after they were released that the FBI expressed alarm and they were found and arrested, CBS News reported. The OIG has also found that CBP agents were releasing known and suspected terrorists into the country because of “ineffective practices and processes.”

Their arrests were made after Wray in April testified before Congress that Islamic terrorist and other national security threats were coming through the border. He referred to an “increasingly concerning … potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia concert hall,” referring to ISIS-Khorasan, ISIS’s Afghan affiliate. In March, he also testified that ISIS-connected smuggling organizations were coming through the border and the FBI was investigating.

The senators point to “multiple recent releases of aliens on the terrorist watchlist into the United States,” including from Afghanistan, Jordan, Somalia, Uzbekistan and others.

They cite an example of an Afghan national and suspected member of the terrorist group Hezb-e-Islami (HIG) who illegally entered the U.S. in California and was arrested on March 10, 2023. Instead of being processed for removal, he was enrolled in an Alternatives to Detention monitoring program for two weeks and then “allowed to roam free in the U.S. for ten months, unmonitored, until ICE agents arrested him again due to potential terrorist ties,” the senators said.

Another example is of a Somali national on the FBI Terrorist Watchlist as “a confirmed member” of the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, who illegally entered the U.S. in California in March 2023. Instead of being processed for removal, he was released into the country. Nearly one year later, he was arrested in Minnesota for his alleged involvement in the use, manufacture or transportation of explosives or firearms, they said.

Another is an Uzbekistan national with alleged ties to ISIS who illegally entered the U.S. in Arizona in February 2022. He was arrested by Border Patrol agents and instead of being processed for removal, he also was released into the U.S. In May 2023, the Uzbekistan government issued an international notice that he was wanted for his ties to ISIS, “which U.S. officials failed to discover until March of this year,” the senators note.

They also point to two Jordanians “posing as Amazon subcontractors attempted to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico” last month as examples of DHS failures. One had overstayed his student visa by roughly 18 months; the other illegally entered the U.S. in California in April. Instead of being detained and processed for removal, he was released on his own recognizance to appear before an immigration judge. One of the men was on the Terrorist Watch List.

These are in addition to the greatest number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) illegally entering the U.S. in the last nearly three fiscal years, according to CBP data. In fiscal 2024 through June 20, 316 KSTs have been apprehended, with the majority, 199, at the northern border, according to CBP data.

The greatest number of KSTs to ever be apprehended in U.S. history was in fiscal 2023 of 736; with the majority, 487, apprehended at the northern border, including an Iranian with terrorist ties, The Center Square first reported.

The senators asked DHS to respond to questions about the names and identities of arrested KSTs, where they illegally entered the U.S., if they claimed asylum, what the vetting process was, if they were connected to ISIS or other terrorist organizations, among other questions.

DHS was given a deadline of Tuesday to provide the requested information.