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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We're getting a clearer picture of the two men inside a box truck used by two illegal immigrants to ram the main gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
Sources tell Potomac Local that the box truck that rammed the gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base contained only boxes and miscellaneous items—no weapons.
Federal officials have been tight-lipped about the contents of the truck and the two men, Jordanian nationals, who were turned over to federal immigration authorities shortly after the May 3, 2024, incident.
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Elected officials are questioning why Quantico Marine Corps Base didn't tell the public about an attempted security breach at its main gate on May 3, 2024.
After pressing base officials, seven days after the incident, Potomac Local News broke the news of an early-morning incident in which two men driving a box truck approached the base's main gate on Fuller Road outside Dumfries. They claimed to be Amazon contractors making a delivery to the base's post office. Despite lacking proper credentials, they attempted to access the base.
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Two people inside a box truck tried to force their way onto Quantico Marine Corps Base.
After being pressed by Potomac Local News, base officials today said that in the early morning hours of Friday, May 3, 2024, the two men drove a truck up to the base’s main gate on Fuller Road, just outside Dumfries, told guards that they were contractors for Amazon and were making a delivery to Quantico Town’s post office. The town is located inside the military base.
The men did not provide any approved access credentials, and police determined the vehicle had no affiliation with the base, so officers directed the truck to a holding area for standard vetting procedures. “One of the military police officers noticed the driver, ignoring the direct instructions of the officers, continued to move the vehicle past the holding area and attempted to access…Quantico,” said base spokesman Capt. Micheal Curtis.
Officers then used vehicle denial barriers, or roadblocks that were used to keep out cars, which prevented the two men from traveling further onto the base. The occupants were detained and eventually turned over to ICE, and no one was injured, said Curtis.
Multiple sources report one of the individuals inside the truck is a Jordanian foreign national who recently crossed the southern border into the U.S., and that one of the occupants is on the U.S. terrorist watch list. Quantico did not confirm this information.
Potomac Local News requested more information from ICE, and we’ll update this post as soon as we receive it.
Sources also tell us security on the base has been heightened since the incident, and that a mass email was sent to base personnel urging them to be on high alert.
The Quantico incident mirrors others at military installations across the U.S. and the White House, which have raised concerns about security protocols and the safety of personnel following three separate incidents involving unauthorized vehicle access.
Two days after the incident at Quantico, a vehicle crashed into an outer perimeter gate of the White House in Washington, D.C., resulting in the death of the driver. President Joe Biden, who was away for the weekend in Delaware, was not present during the incident, and the Secret Service confirmed that there was no threat to the White House.
The driver, a male whose identity has not yet been disclosed, was found deceased in the vehicle following the crash, which took place shortly before 10:30 p.m.
The Secret Service promptly enacted security measures, assuring the public that there was no immediate threat to the White House. Both the Secret Service and local law enforcement agencies are actively investigating the incident to determine its cause and any underlying factors.
Tragedy struck at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story in Virginia on Sunday, April 28, when a driver attempted to breach security protocols at the installation’s gate and crashed into a hydraulic barricade. Despite attempts by the base’s fire company to extinguish the resulting fire, the driver succumbed to the crash. According to a public affairs officer, the vehicle disregarded security checks and barreled through the gate at high speed.
On April 3, at Naval Base San Diego, an internal security vehicle triggered chaos at the Norman Scott Gate. The unmarked vehicle, belonging to the base’s security team, breached the gate without stopping, prompting the activation of emergency barricades. The ensuing collision injured three occupants, including two civilian officers and one active-duty military member.
On March 27, 2024, at Twentynine Palms, California, a Chinese national made a brazen attempt to gain access to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Despite being informed by military police that he lacked authorization, the individual proceeded past gate guards, prompting immediate intervention by law enforcement. The suspect was swiftly detained and transferred to Customs and Border Patrol custody.Â
Kelly Sienkowski is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News. If you’re not getting our FREE email newsletter, you are missing out. Subscribe Now!
