Capitol Police arrest man attempting to set his car on fire amid Trump DC visit with GOP senators

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 President-elect Donald Trump talks to reporters after his meeting with the GOP on Capitol Hill.

The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said that they arrested a person who attempted to set his car ablaze near the U.S. Capitol building during President-elect Trump’s visit late Wednesday.

“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”

The agency said that during Trump’s visit with Republican senators and his time paying respect to President Carter, a 35-year-old man from Virginia attempted to set his car on fire.

POLICE ARREST MAN AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CARRY MACHETE, 3 KNIVES INTO US CAPITOL, HOURS BEFORE TRUMP ARRIVES

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst )

Police said that just before 5:30 p.m., USCP officers were alerted to a man who had parked on First Street, NW, near the Grant Memorial, and had lit a bag on fire atop his vehicle. 

POLICE ARREST MAN AT US CAPITOL WHO HAD BOTTLES OF FUEL, FLARE GUN, BLOW TORCH

When officers ran over to the man, the bag extinguished on its own. 

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Reuters/Jason Reed)

Out of an abundance of caution, the USCP said that the vehicle was declared suspicious, and the agency’s Hazardous Incident Response Division cleared the vehicle. 

Officials determined that the car was not a danger at approximately 7 p.m.

The car had been spray-painted. Investigators determined that accelerants were in the bag. The driver was arrested for unlawful activities.

The U.S. Capitol Police stopped a man from entering the Capitol at a security checkpoint, after he was found to allegedly have a machete and three knives in his bag. (U.S. Capitol Police)

Hours prior to this arrest, the USCP detained a man who attempted to carry a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). 

The Capitol Police said in a social media post that the incident happened just after 2 p.m., when officers working at a security screening at the CVC’s north doors spotted a machete in the man’s bag.

The X-ray machine was stopped as the bag went through, then police arrested 44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., before securing the machete.

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Police said Horne was arrested for multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon and will be interviewed by investigators to determine his motive.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.

Related Topics

• Washington DC
• Donald Trump
• US Crime
• Police and Law Enforcement