By David K. Li and Whitney Lee -
NBC News
A heavily armed Californian man was arrested in Iowa after he assured officials that he would do whatever it takes to assassinate government leaders on his "hit list," which includes President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci, his chief. medical adviser, authorities said in court documents on Wednesday.
The man, Kuachua Brillion Xiong, 25, has been detained since Thursday at the Pottawattamie County Jail in the city of Council Bluffs, according to the sheriff's records.
Xiong was detained Dec. 21 in Cass County and
found to have an AR-15 rifle, ammunition, loaded cartridges, bulletproof vests and medical kits
, Secret Service agent Justin Larson wrote in a criminal report.
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A lawyer for Xiong declined to comment on Wednesday.
Xiong drove from his home near Sacramento, California, since December 18 "with the intention of going directly to the White House ... to kill people in power," Larson said.
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In speaking with investigators,
Xiong claimed that "malicious individuals he intended to assassinate" included Biden, Fauci
, former President Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of the social network Facebook, authorities said.
Xiong was using a mapping app on his phone and targeted the White House, according to the complaint in court documents released Wednesday.
President Joe Biden during a press conference on December 23, 2021.Patrick Semansky / AP
Xiong, identified as an employee of a La Merced supermarket, showed agents a drawing of the White House grounds "including what he perceived as 'a weak point' that he identified during his investigation prior to the attack," Larson explained. .
"
He added that if he was released, he would immediately resume his trip to the White House
(...) and would do whatever 'necessary' to complete his plan," the complaint said.
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"Xiong asserted that he had no intention of returning to California with his family because he
planned to die fighting evil demons in the White House,
" he said.
He was charged with threatening the security of a former president of the United States.