U.S. Capitol Police said on Tuesday that officers have arrested a man who attempted to enter the Capitol building smelling like fuel and armed with potentially dangerous devices.
“Our officers just arrested a man who was stopped during our screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center. The man smelled like fuel, had a torch and a flare gun,” U.S. Capitol Police said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The man also had two containers that, when opened by police, smelled like gasoline, a law enforcement official said.
The Capitol Visitor Center is closed for tours for the day, while investigation continues.
Investigators tracked the suspect’s previous movements and located his vehicle at 9th and Maryland Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C., “which was just cleared,” according to U.S. Capitol Police.
On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of Donald Trump supporters violently broke into the Capitol building, and interrupted the certifying process of the 2020 presidential election, prompting hundreds of lawmakers to evacuate in panic.
The election this year is widely regarded as one of the most divisive in U.S. history. According to an annual survey recently released by the American Psychological Association, over 70 percent of U.S. adults said they were worried that the election results could lead to violence. ■