An Oregon man was arrested Monday after he allegedly broke into the home of the Swiss ambassador to the United States and assaulted him, police said.
Authorities identified the suspect as Christian David Mandeville and said he forced entry into the residence of Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud and shoved the diplomat after the Secret Service responded to the scene, according to Fox News, which cited court documents.
Mandeville, who was initially denied entry into the facility, hopped a fence to gain access, the embassy said. The suspect also tried to pull away from and fight an agent who was placing him into custody, a uniformed Secret Service agent said in an affidavit.
No one was harmed in the incident, and the suspected intruder is facing charges of assault on a foreign official, assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer, and unlawful entry.
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“The Embassy of Switzerland thanks the U.S. Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department for their quick response,” the Swiss Embassy told the Washington Examiner in an email.
Mandeville told authorities he dropped a bag near the fencing around the property, but the suspicious package was deemed not to be a threat. A motive for the attack has yet to be determined.
Pitteloud was appointed to his post in 2019 after he joined the Swiss Foreign Service in 1987 as an adviser to the foreign minister, according to his biography. He also served as the director general of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
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The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
