A man who smelled like fuel and was carrying a torch lighter and a flare gun was arrested at the Capitol on Election Day.
The U.S. Capitol Police said they stopped the White man, whom they did not name, in the screening area of the Capitol Visitor Center around 12:20 p.m.
“As soon as his backpack and his jacket went into the screening area, U.S. Capitol Police officers staffing that screening area saw what appeared to be something in the shape of a firearm. They also saw two bottles in the backpack,” Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said at a press briefing on the ongoing investigation.
“As the man was standing there, one of the officers noticed a faint odor of gasoline,” he said. “And when they pulled the backpack off the conveyor belt they noticed a much stronger scent of gasoline.”
Chief Manger said the man was immediately detained. The torch lighter and flare gun were found in his jacket and the two bottles in the backpack were what police believe to be an accelerant.
“It could have been gasoline; it was some sort of accelerant,” he said. “It appeared that at least one of the bottles was leaking and that’s why the backpack smelled so strongly.”
Chief Manger said “it’s hard to tell” whether the man intended to set himself on fire or had other plans.
“He had some articles in his backpack that he may have wanted to set on fire,” he said. “It did not appear that he had doused all of his clothing. There was some of his clothing that smelled like gasoline, but not all of it. So it’s really unknown at this point what his intention was.”
Capitol Police located the man’s vehicle several blocks away and were searching it for additional evidence as they tried to determine what he had planned.
“There’s no indication right now that it had anything to do with the election,” Mr. Manger said.
The Capitol Visitor Center was closed to tours for the remainder of the day while police investigated.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.