Is this a warning sign about the UN’s vulnerability to terrorist attack — domestic and foreign?
A California man — allegedly armed with two guns, a large knife and over 200 rounds of ammunition — was arrested Thursday as he tried to enter a United Nations parking garage, authorities said.
Vernon J. Welker, 59, is to face charges of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police detective Kevin Czartoryski said.
He said Welker had a .22-caliber revolver, a .22-caliber Winchester rifle and a large knife in his car when he tried to enter the U.N. parking garage about 10:30 a.m. ET. Czartoryski said both guns were loaded and that Welker had more than 200 rounds of ammunition.
Authorities said Welker tried to enter the garage at 3 U.N. Plaza, which is commonly used by U.N. workers.
He was taken to a Manhattan police station and will be arraigned Friday in a New York criminal court.
Czartoryski said Welker gave no indication why he was carrying the weapons.
On the other hand, perhaps he was just a tourist who forgot his camera and he normally travels with two loaded guns and 200 rounds of ammunition.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.