April 13, 2005
Man in Capitol Scare Violated Visa, Officials Say
By REUTERS
WASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - An Australian who was arrested on Monday on Capitol Hill after a bomb scare will be expelled from the United States for violating his visa, an immigration official said Tuesday.
"The terms of visa waivers include a public safety provision and we can send someone back home for violating that," a spokesman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said.
The Australian, Wenhao Zhao, who the authorities had thought was from China, raised suspicions on Monday after he stood outside the Capitol for about an hour with two black suitcases and demanded to see President Bush.
The area was evacuated, roads were closed and tours were stopped.
When Mr. Zhao would not respond to officers' questions, officers rushed him, tackled him and dragged him away.
Mr. Zhao put up no resistance.
A hazardous materials response team took X-rays and blew up one of the bags that appeared to have suspicious wires. They searched the other bag by hand.
No explosives or other dangerous materials were found, the Capitol Police said, adding that the wires were part of a CD player.
An official said it was unlikely that Mr. Zhao would be charged with a criminal offense. The police had considered charging him with disobeying a police officer.
Mr. Zhao arrived in the United States on April 8, entering through Los Angeles.
A spokesman for the Australian Embassy here would not comment.
