Military sentries at a U.S. Marine Base in Virginia stopped a pair of suspects attempting to rush onto the base and have since turned the two individuals over to U.S. immigration authorities.
In an emailed statement, Marine Corps spokesman Kyle Olson said the pair of individuals were driving a box truck up to the Fuller Road Gate at Marine Corps Base Quantico on May 3 when they were stopped by the gate sentries. When asked, the truck driver told military police officers that he and the other suspect worked for a company subcontracted by Amazon and were making a delivery to the U.S. Post Office located in the Town of Quantico.
The gate sentries determined that vehicles occupants had no affiliation with the base and no approved credentials that would allow them onto the military installation. They directed the vehicle to move to a holding area, as part of the base security vetting procedures.
“It was at that time, 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 Marine Corps Base Quantico,” Mr. Olson said.
The Marine Corps spokesman said the gate sentry activated a vehicle denial barrier, preventing the truck from moving ahead. Mr. Olson said the base security team subsequently detained the two individuals in the vehicle and turned them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“No injuries were sustained. No weapons were reported to be found. The safety and security of all who live and work on Quantico remains the base commander’s top priority, so when any vehicle and its occupants fail to comply with the clear direction of the on-duty police Officers, specific steps are taken by those officers to restrict any further access,” Mr. Olson continued. “Those actions by our on-duty police officers helped maintain the safety and security of all who live and work on Marine Corps Base Quantico.”
NTD News reached out to ICE for further details about the incident but did not receive a response by press time.
The Quantico Marine base hosts several key components of the military branch, including the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, a master’s program for military studies known as Marine Corps University, and the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. The base also hosts the FBI’s agent training academy. It serves as the headquarters for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and components of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Foreign Nationals Have Rushed Onto Other Military Bases
The May 3 incident at the Marine Base in Quantico would not be the first time in recent years that foreign nationals have attempted to make their way onto sensitive U.S. military installations.U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino said CBP officers were called to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in California in March after a Chinese national
entered the military installation without authorization and failed to respond to orders to leave.
Another two Chinese nationals, Wang Yuhao and Zhang Jielun were arrested and charged after venturing onto Naval Air Station Key West in Florida in January 2019 and taking photos on the base. According to
court records, a security guard instructed the two Chinese nationals that they were not authorized to enter the facility and that they could only proceed far enough onto the facility to make a U-turn to leave. The pair instead continued onto the base.
A third Chinese national, Liao Lyuyou, was arrested and charged for entering NAS Key West nearly a year later, in December 2019. All three men
received prison sentences in connection with their attempts to enter the same naval base.
Lawmakers have called for the U.S. Department of Defense and the FBI to address the pattern of attempts by foreign nationals to infiltrate U.S. military bases. On May 10, Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.)
announced members of the House Oversight Committee would receive a classified briefing from the DOD and FBI on this matter on Thursday, May 16.
