Police have arrested a man trying to enter the US Capitol with a torch and flare gun
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 nations capital and have increased patrols in areas downtown and near the White House around Election Day. Nearly four years ago, a mob of Donald Trumps 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
(2,332 posts)Just wait .... wait ... oh, crap.
IronLionZion
(47,022 posts)Ferrets are Cool
(21,961 posts)Dennis Donovan
(26,496 posts)I guess he stood out.
brush
(57,771 posts)Linda ladeewolf
(437 posts)brush
(57,771 posts)forgotmylogin
(7,682 posts)What person in their right mind-- oh.
TwilightZone
(28,833 posts)Beacool
(30,329 posts)DaBronx
(486 posts)Unreal
OKIsItJustMe
(20,918 posts)Harris is going to win. (i.e. Theyre going to steal the election again
)
Why wait for the (so called) election results?
PedroXimenez
(608 posts)bucolic_frolic
(47,174 posts)Response to OKIsItJustMe (Original post)
Irish_Dem This message was self-deleted by its author.
Hope22
(2,988 posts)Who runs this place anyway! Im shocked that visitation was open ..actually disappointed.
twodogsbarking
(12,230 posts)Crowman2009
(2,819 posts)ffr
(23,127 posts)On the flip side, if Harris voters all cast ballots, she'll have a congressional mandate!
Yonnie3
(18,149 posts)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 mans 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 mans 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