California man driving to White House to kill leaders on 'hit list' arrested in Iowa, officials say

A heavily armed California man was arrested in Iowa after he told law enforcement officers that he would "do whatever it takes" to kill government leaders on his "hit list," including President Joe Biden and his chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, authorities said in court papers Wednesday.

The man, Kuachua Brillion Xiong, 25, has been held in the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs since Thursday, according to sheriff's records.

Xiong was pulled over Dec. 21 in Cass County and found to have an AR-15 rifle, ammunition, loaded magazines, body armor and medical kits, Secret Service Agent Justin Larson wrote in a criminal complaint.

An attorney for Xiong had no comment Wednesday.

Xiong had been driving from his home near Sacramento, California, since Dec. 18 "with the intention of driving straight to the White House ... to kill persons in power," Larson wrote.

Speaking with investigators, Xiong said the "evil individuals he intended to kill" included Biden, Fauci, former President Barack Obama and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, authorities said.

Xiong was using a map app on his phone and had set his destination for the White House, according to the complaint, which was included in court documents unsealed Wednesday.