The Secret Service said it discovered Tuesday that the two bullets hit the White House. Park Police had earlier linked Ortega, who is from Idaho Falls, Idaho, to the reports of gunfire.
A Park Police crime bulletin issued before Ortega's arrest said he was known to have mental-health issues, adding, "Ortega should be considered unstable with violent tendencies."
Authorities say there are indications he believed his attack on the White House was part of a personal mission from God, according to a law enforcement official. There are also indications the man had become obsessed with Obama and the White House, according to two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
Authorities said the bullets discovered Tuesday had not been conclusively connected with the reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday night. On Friday, authorities found an abandoned vehicle with an assault rifle inside.
Ortega was arrested Wednesday afternoon at a hotel near Indiana, Pa., about 55 miles east of Pittsburgh, the Secret Service said. He was in Pennsylvania State Police custody. A tip from someone who saw and identified Ortega led to his arrest, Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said.
Ortega did not resist arrest, Pennsylvania State Trooper Lt. Brad Shields said. State troopers said Ortega had visited the hotel in recent days, and investigators believed he was back in the area Wednesday.
Ortega's first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh, according to the staff of U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy.
Ortega was reported missing Oct. 31 by his family. On Friday morning, he was stopped by police in Arlington, Va., while they were investigating a report of a suspicious person. Police took photos of him but did not have a reason to arrest him, Arlington Police Lt. Joe Kantor said.
Ortega has an arrest record in three states but has not been linked to any radical organizations, Park Police have said. Police searched the Occupy D.C. encampment Monday after callers said they had seen a man matching Ortega's description, but the search turned up nothing.
Obama and the first lady had traveled without daughters Malia and Sasha on Friday to San Diego en route to Hawaii for a summit, prior to flying to Australia. The White House had no immediate comment on the shooting or on who might have been home at the time.
