Police have arrested a man trying to enter the US Capitol with a torch and flare gun

[OKIsItJustMe]

Source: AP

Police have arrested a man trying to enter the US Capitol with a torch and flare gun
By MIKE BALSAMO

U.S. Capitol Police say the man was stopped Tuesday during a security screening at the Capitol Visitor Center. Authorities say he smelled of fuel and was carrying the flare gun and torch.

Officials have canceled public tours of the Capitol for the remainder of the day.

Police say they are still investigating.

The arrest comes as authorities are on heightened alert for security issues around the nation’s capital and have increased patrols in areas downtown and near the White House around Election Day. Nearly four years ago, a mob of Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.


Read more: https://apnews.com/live/trump-harris-election-updates-11-5-2024#00000192-fda8-dcda-ab92-fde807240000

[Metaphorical]

1. Just wait for the flares, then we'll attack!

Just wait .... wait ... oh, crap.

[IronLionZion]

2. Just typical tourist behavior

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. Damn idiots can't even get the dates right. Someone tell him that he is two months early for the party.

[Dennis Donovan]

4. he smelled of fuel and was carrying the flare gun and torch

I guess he stood out.

[brush]

6. Smelled of fuel and had flare gun. Sounds like a potential suicide bomber.

[Linda ladeewolf]

16. More like someone wanting to set himself on fire.

[brush]

17. That's what I meant. Flare gun plus fuel equals suicide.

[forgotmylogin]

11. Did he really think they were just going to let him in with that?

What person in their right mind-- oh.

[TwilightZone]

5. A little early, isn't he?

[Beacool]

7. He was trying to beat the crowd.

[DaBronx]

10. He was trying to fire up the crowd

Unreal

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. Foregone conclusion

Harris is going to win. (i.e. “They’re” going to steal the election again…)

Why wait for the (so called) election results?

[PedroXimenez]

9. he sounds like a spelunker n/t

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Wake 'n Bake is his best defense

[Hope22]

14. OK....I think we can cancel the tourists at least until December 7th!

Who runs this place anyway! I’m shocked that visitation was open…..actually disappointed.

[twodogsbarking]

15. His nickname is "matches".

[Crowman2009]

18. Can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out he won't be pardoned.

[ffr]

19. It's the impressionable people who always does stuff like this. Could be bellwether for TSF's flagging turnout

On the flip side, if Harris voters all cast ballots, she'll have a congressional mandate!

[Yonnie3]

20. More Information from the Capitol Police

USCP Arrests Man with Flare Gun, Torch Lighter, & Bottles of Fuel
November 6, 2024
Press Release

A team of United States Capitol Police (USCP) officers arrested a man who was trying to get into the U.S. Capitol with a flare gun, torch lighter and bottles of fuel.

Just before 12:30 p.m., on Tuesday, November 5, a man walked into the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) and into a line for the USCP screening process. Capitol Division officers ordered the man to put his jacket and bag through the x-ray machine. USCP officers spotted items on the x-ray, which appeared suspicious. After a hand search, they recovered a flare gun, a torch lighter, and two bottles of fuel. The man also smelled like he doused part of his clothing with fuel.

Officers searched the man and found what appears to be a manifesto and a letter to Congress. The letter was focused on the man’s opinions on the war in the middle east. The man was handcuffed, moved outside to be interviewed, and arrested.

The CVC was closed during the investigation and public tours were stopped for the remainder of the day.

USCP investigators tracked the man’s prior movements and located his sedan at 9th Street and Maryland Avenue, NE. The car was cleared by the USCP K9 Unit and our Hazardous Incident Response Division.

Our Investigations Division learned that the suspect traveled to the Washington, D.C. area from Michigan on Monday, November 4.

“If our officers did not stop this man, yesterday would have been a very different story than this one,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “All of our employees continue to work, together, around the clock during this heightened security environment.”

The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Austin M. Olson of Westland, Michigan. Our investigators are working to determine why he came to the Capitol with the items. He is facing charges for Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Unlawful Activities, and Disorderly Conduct.

The USCP thanks our partners with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for their assistance.

from https://www.uscp.gov/media-center/press-releases/uscp-arrests-man-flare-gun-torch-lighter-bottles-fuel