A man donning a bulletproof vest and carrying two small knives was arrested in Trump Tower on Thursday afternoon. The New York resident told U.S. Secret Service officers that he was a U.S. senator and he had a meeting with Ivanka Trump, one of President Trump’s top assistants as well as his eldest daughter.
The man is identified in records as Sixto Benitez Adames, 52, of the Bronx, according to reports.
At around 4 p.m. on Thursday, Benitez entered Trump Tower carrying two knives and a tied-off sock with a weight in it. In addition to wanting to discuss the first daughter’s clothing line, Benitez told authorities that he owns Trump Tower.
“He was trying to meet with Ivanka Trump to discuss her dresses,” the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of public information told Newsweek. “He was discovered to be wearing a bullet-resistant vest [under his clothes] … further investigation revealed he had a forged identification card.”
He was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and faces charges of criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a forged instrument for the fake New York State identity card, ABC reported.
Ivanka Trump was not in Trump Tower at the time. She and her family live in an upscale neighborhood of Washington, D.C., since her father won the 2016 election; on Thursday, Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, both special advisors to the president, were in Poland before the first family attended the G20 forum in Germany.
Excited to have arrived in Poland last night. Looking forward to an amazing day as I visit Warsaw for the first time. #POTUSAbroad pic.twitter.com/ivMtZ3YEgd
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 6, 2017
It was deeply moving to be able to visit The Monument to the Ghetto Heroes and the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews. pic.twitter.com/hmAGvnj4Ey
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 6, 2017
President Trump faces a testy confrontation at the summit with leaders of the other big Group of 20 economies after deciding last month to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate deal.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel cited “many commonalities” on foreign policy after a meeting that included Merkel, Trump, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Trump family members and advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.
But he told German broadcaster that “clear differences” on climate change and trade continued to divide the two allies.
We’ve landed in Germany and are looking forward to productive discussions at the G20 Hamburg Summit! #POTUSatG20 #G20 pic.twitter.com/ThCw9VERpw
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 6, 2017
Reuters contributed to this report.
