Homeless man enters base housing Air Force One and wanders around for five hours

Despite wearing hat with ‘mouse ears’ intruder was not apprehended until after boarding aircraft

President Joe Biden (not the intruder) boards Air Force One on 16 February (AFP via Getty Images)

A homeless man wearing a hat with attached “mouse ears” spent five hours roaming around the military base where the US president’s plane is kept despite several layers of security.

On Thursday, the US Air Force admitted the incident happened on 4 February at Joint Base Andrews where the intruder made his way onto a C-40 transport plane on the tarmac

He did not get close to Air Force One, the president’s dedicated aircraft, a modified Boeing 747.

Located just south of Washington, DC, Andrews is where the president and other important US government officials fly from for government business, as well as being the arrival point for visiting VIPs and heads of state.

The unidentified man drove onto the base and spent five hours there, visiting a food court, the VIP terminal, and elsewhere before he was noticed, the AFP reports.

Somehow his unique appearance, and the fact that he did not know where he was, did not draw attention sooner.

A heavily redacted report states: “On his head, he had a bright red or pink cap that partially covered his ears and had distinctive balls on top that looked a little like mouse ears.”

The report faulted a guard at the main gate who was distracted by personal problems and obstructed by Covid-19 protocols. The guard let the man through despite a lack of credentials.

He was able to access the tarmac due to a malfunctioning automatic gate.

The man then boarded the C-40 aircraft, and was seen by two aircrew undergoing training but was ignored.

Upon his return to the terminal, his suspicious behaviour finally attracted attention and he was arrested by security officers.

Air Force Inspector General Sami Said said that the man never got close to Air Force One, which is parked at a distant location on the base and is protected by more intense layers of security.

The report concluded that the man was homeless, lived in his car, and despite an extensive arrest record showed no intent to do harm.

When questioned the man said “he came on base because he wanted to see airplanes”, the report says.

It is not known if the man will face charges.