Man arrested near White House after rifle found in his car A man was arrested near the White House on Wednesday evening after driving across the country with a rifle and knife in the boot of his car on what he said was a mission to reach the home of the US president. The 41-year-old, named as RJ Kapheim, walked up to a Secret Service officer to the east of the White House grounds, according to a spokeswoman, and said he had driven from Iowa. When officers searched his car, which was parked a few blocks away, they found a rifle, 40 rounds of ammunition and a six-inch knife. Security of the White House has been a hot political issue this year, following a lapse that allowed an intruder inside the building. Omar Gonzalez, a 42-year-old US army sniper who served three tours of Iraq, was stopped just feet from the staircase leading to the Obamas' private quarters, in one of the most serious security breaches in recent times. A string of other controversies eventually forced the resignation of Julia Pierson from the post of Secret Service director. Since then the agency has been trying to restore confidence. Hours before Kapheim was arrested, Joseph Clancy, its acting director, told a congressional panel that the service had fallen short of its target and was responsible for a string of "devastating" failures. He added that its weeks in the spotlight had hurt morale of the service but promised improvements. "We are confident we can restore the Secret Service to its rightful place as the most respected protective agency in the world," he said.