Several Secret Service agents were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the two men that the FBI recently arrested for impersonating federal agents. Investigators believe the men were attempted to get close to the Secret Service to get access to the White House.
The two men, 40-year-old Arian Taherzadeh and 35-year-old Haider Ali made their first appearance in federal court Thursday, where a judge ruled that the men will remain in custody pending a detention hearing. The men are facing charges of falsely impersonating federal agents.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein said the two men had deceived real federal officials and Secret Service that they were legitimate using fake credentials. Rothstein said police had recovered several incriminating evidence from the two men's apartments, including body armor, gas masks, handcuffs, breaching equipment, radios, body arms, uniforms, and a list of federal employee residents living inside one apartment complex.
Firearms such as long guns, handguns, and sniper equipment, along with airsoft pistols, were also recovered from the apartments. A passport belonging to Ali was also recovered, and officials said it was stamped with Iranian and Pakistani visas. Both men are U.S. citizens.
Ali and Taherzadeh reportedly befriended several Secret Service agents over the past two years, including one that was assigned to Jill Biden's protective detail. The Secret Service said it had placed four agents under administrative leave until they concluded their investigation into the matter. In a statement published Thursday, the Secret Service said the agents involved in the matter would be restricted from gaining access to its systems, equipment, and facilities.
According to the FBI, the two men were identified as fake during the course of an unrelated investigation done by a Postal Service inspector over an alleged assault involving a USPS employee. Taherzadeh and Ali had reportedly witnessed the incident.
When they were asked about the incident, the two men reportedly informed the inspector they were agents from the "U.S. Special Police Investigation Unit," which one of them said was part of the Department of Homeland Security. The two men also claimed that they were involved in covert gang investigations as well as investigations into the Capitol attack on Jan. 6.
The Postal Service inspector reported the individuals to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, which forwarded the information to the FBI. The two men could be facing additional charges, including possible conspiracy charges, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
