US Capitol Police announced Tuesday that officers arrested a man who “smelled like fuel” and had a torch and a flare gun at the US Capitol.
Capitol Police said the man, whose name was not immediately released, was stopped during a security screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).
“CVC is closed for tours for the day, while we investigate. We will provide more information when we can,” the Capitol Police sent in X.
Fox was told that the suspect also wrote a 25-page manifesto and indicated that on Tuesday he plans to submit it to Congress.
The arrests occurred around 12:30 a.m. ET, congressional security sources and people familiar with the investigation told Fox News.
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The source said the suspect’s clothes smelled of gasoline and his clothes were wet. The Capitol Police immediately picked up on this and arrested him. His clothes were immediately removed, the source added.
A view of the US Capitol in Washington DC, on November 4, 2024, before the Presidential Election. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The source confirmed that the suspects had blow torches, flare guns and other flammable liquids.
One senior source told Fox News that investigators are not sure if the suspect wanted to set himself on fire.
The suspect is described as a White male in his late 20s who drove all night from Michigan to the Capitol, sources told Fox News.
At a news conference, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said that “some” of the suspect’s clothing smelled like gasoline, “but not all,” so “it’s unknown at this time what the motive was.”
“There’s no indication right now that it’s related to the election,” Manger said, adding that the US Capitol Police has “a better attitude about our security,” which will continue “through and beyond the inauguration, if necessary.”
A view of the security fence near the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2024, ahead of the Presidential Election. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Sources told Fox News the suspect appeared to be acting alone and was not on the radar of the US Capitol Police.
Manger said police also located the suspect’s vehicle a few blocks away and seized it as part of the ongoing investigation.
“They have a paper with them that they say they intend to send to Congress,” Manger said when asked about the reported manifesto.
“We’re still going through all those papers,” he said. “That’s enough, and we’re trying to determine where, in fact, they come from.”
Manger described how the officer noticed two bottles and “what appears to be something in the shape of a firearm” in the suspect’s backpack on the conveyor belt and recognized “the smell of gasoline.”
“And when he pulled the backpack off the conveyor belt, he noticed a stronger smell of gasoline,” he said, adding that the substance could be gasoline or “like an accelerant,” and “it appeared that at least one bottle had leaked, so the bag the backpack smells really bad.”
Manger said officers found a flare gun, lighter and torch lighter in the suspect’s jacket, as well as “other articles in a backpack.” The chief described the suspect as “very compliant” with police. The man was said to hesitate for a moment and was urged by officers to speed past security. He is currently being interviewed by investigators, Manger said.
The arrests occurred on Election Day, when voters across the country headed to the polls.
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On Monday, the Secret Service confirmed that it had set up barriers around key sites in the nation’s capital, including the White House and the vice president’s residence at the US Naval Observatory.
Meanwhile, private businesses in major cities, like New York, Portland and Washington, DC, have also followed suit by entering storefronts.
Businesses near the White House take security measures in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2024, ahead of the possibility of violence in and after the November 5 election. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Secret Service said it is “working closely” with federal, state and local partners in the nation’s capital and Palm Beach County, Florida, to implement “higher levels of safety and security” going forward. from Tuesday’s election. In addition to the White House and the Naval Observatory, fencing will also block the Treasury Department in Washington, DC, and authorities have used bicycle-rack barriers to strengthen the Capitol, according to Washington Post.
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Meanwhile, Howard University, where Harris will be on election night, will also see heightened security measures, the DC Metropolitan Police Department said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
