CBS News is reporting the man placed in custody this morning for suspicious activity near the Pentagon is a Marine Reservist. According to CBS, 22-year-old Yonathan Melaku is a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
Melaku is now in custody with the U.S Park Police, although they haven't filed any charges against him. The U.S. Park Police detained Melaku after he was found in Arlington National Cemetery while it was closed. Further probing found Melaku had a notebook with phrases like "al Qaeda" and "Taliban Rules" written inside it. He also had a backpack with suspicious materials, according to CBS:
The Associated Press reports Melaku is a naturalized United States citizen who was born in Ethiopia, and now lives in Alexandria, Virginia. He had been arrested at the end of May and charged with four counts of grand larceny for breaking the windows of 27 cars, according to the Loudoun Times.
WUSA-TV has a timeline of this morning's events:
