WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent with a history of mental illness was arrested outside the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters last week during a confrontation with the police in which she threatened to bomb the agency, court documents show.

Tunisia Davis was taken into custody on Thursday after she refused to stop her car outside the gates of the Langley, Virginia, offices of the CIA, according to an affidavit filed with the charges against her.

Davis, 39, made threats to security officers, lunged for an officer's sidearm and threatened to blow up the CIA, the affidavit said.

She was charged with assault, resisting arrest and interfering with an officer of the US government engaged in the performance of official duties.

At a court hearing on Tuesday, US Magistrate Judge John Anderson ordered her transported to the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, for a psychiatric evaluation, court records show.

Davis was not in court for the hearing after prosecutors said she was uncooperative in being transported from jail. Her attorney, assistant federal public defender Whitney Minter, declined comment.

Davis, who worked as an FBI agent from 2004 to 2010, approached the CIA gates last Thursday around 1.20pm, saying she had an appointment, CIA secret protective service agent John Hardee said in the affidavit.

She ignored orders to stop her vehicle and instead turned up the radio, stood up through the sunroof and began dancing to the music, Agent Hardee said.

Davis lunged for the officer's gun while she was being arrested and said she wanted to "die of police brutality", according to Agent Hardee.

During her transport, Davis repeatedly hit her head against the partition between the officers and the back seat, according to the affidavit. It added that in an interview with CIA officers, Davis threatened to bomb the CIA and accused President Barack Obama of being a terrorist.

Earlier that day, Davis arrived at the National Security Agency in Maryland and told security there she had plans to test the security at the CIA, according to the affidavit.

Davis said she had a history of psychiatric hospitalizations, according to court records.

Dr Anne Zalewski, a therapist with the Alexandria city jail, said in the court papers that Davis appeared to be experiencing a manic episode characterized by paranoid, grandiose and delusional thoughts and that she had poor impulse control and impaired judgment.

Dr Zalewski recommended that Davis be hospitalised until she could be stabilised.