Police arrest man at US Capitol smelling of fuel who had manifesto, flare gun and blow torch

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Fences, security measures in place in DC ahead of election day

Security measures can be seen across Washington D.C. ahead of election day. FOX 5 DC reports. 

U.S. Capitol Police announced Tuesday that officers arrested a man who “smelled like fuel” and had a torch and a flare gun at the U.S. Capitol.

Capitol police said the man, whose name was not immediately released, was stopped during the security screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). 

“The CVC is closed for tours for the day, while we investigate. We will provide more information when we can,” Capitol police posted on X. 

Fox is told the suspect also wrote a 25-page manifesto and indicated that on Tuesday he intended to deliver it to Congress. 

The arrest happened around 12:30 p.m. ET, congressional security sources and those familiar with the investigation told Fox News. 

GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE BUSINESSES ERECT BARRICADES IN PREPARATION FOR ELECTION DAY

The sources said the suspect’s clothes reeked of fuel and his clothes were wet. Capitol Police picked up on this immediately and arrested him. His clothes were removed immediately, the sources added. 

A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., on Nov. 4, 2024, ahead of the Presidential Election.  (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The sources confirmed the suspect had a blow torch, a flare gun and other flammable liquids with him. 

One senior source told Fox News that investigators were not certain if the suspect intended to self-immolate himself. 

The suspect is described as being a White male in his late-20s who drove all night from Michigan to the Capitol, sources tell Fox News. 

At a press conference, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said “some” of the suspect’s clothing smelled like gasoline, “but not all of it,” so “it’s really unknown at this point what his intention was.” 

“There’s no indication right now that it had anything to do with the election,” Manger said, adding that the U.S. Capitol Police have “an enhanced posture in terms of our security, currently, and it will just, continue through, November through December through and through January, all the way through and beyond the inauguration, if need be.”  

Sources told Fox News the suspect appears to be acting alone and was not on the U.S. Capitol Police’s radar. 

A view of the security fence near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2024, ahead of the Presidential Election.  (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Capitol police told Fox News Digital the investigation was ongoing and declined to provide additional information about the suspect. 

The arrest happened on Election Day, as voters across the country head to the polls. The presidency and control of both chambers of Congress are at stake. 

NEW SECURITY FENCES SEEN AROUND KEY DC SITES AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

On Monday, the Secret Service confirmed that it was erecting barriers around major sites in the nation’s capital, including the White House and the vice president’s residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory. 

Meanwhile, private businesses in major cities, like New York, Portland and Washington, D.C., have also followed suit by boarding up their storefronts. 

Businesses near the White House set up security measures in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2024, ahead of possible violence on and after the Nov. 5 election.  (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Secret Service said it was “working closely” with federal, state and local partners in both the nation’s capital and Palm Beach County, Florida, in order to implement “heightened levels of safety and security” ahead of Tuesday’s election. In addition to the White House and the Naval Observatory, fencing will also block off the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., and authorities have used bike-rack barriers to fortify the Capitol, according to The Washington Post. 

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Meanwhile, Howard University, where Harris will be on election night, will also see heightened security measures, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department indicated. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on X: @danimwallace.