With the inauguration approaching, it seems things are getting more and more interesting. On Wednesday, an “unidentified man” was arrested after he attempted to sneak a machete and several knives through a security checkpoint at the United States Capitol building.
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An unidentified man was detained Wednesday after he allegedly tried to slip a machete and three knives into the US Capitol Visitor Center hours before President-elect Donald Trump was due to arrive.
US Capitol Police said they plan to press charges against the suspect, who was stopped at an X-ray scanner at the entrance to the legislative complex.
“During security screening at the CVC’s north doors, our officers spotted a machete in the man’s bag, stopped the X-ray machine, arrested the man, and secured the machete,” read a statement from the department.
“Three knives were also found in the bag, along with the machete. Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center while we investigated.”
The incident took place around 2 p.m. It is not clear what, if any, motivation the suspect may have had in trying to get the weapons past security.
President-elect Trump was scheduled to visit the Capitol Wednesday evening, to pay his respects to late President Jimmy Carter, who is lying in state in the Rotunda. As of this writing, it’s not clear if the unidentified man was intending an attack on the president-elect or anyone else in the building.
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President-elect Trump, it should be noted, has already survived two assassination attempts, so whoever this unidentified, machete-wielding man is, it’s probably a reasonable assumption that Trump would be a high-value target.
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This is far from the first incident of this sort.
On Election Day, a man who “smelled like fuel” was arrested at a Capitol security checkpoint while carrying both a blowtorch lighter and flare gun.
In December 2023, Capitol Police busted a 23-year-old homeless man whom they found with a machete, brick and a knife outside the seat of the legislative branch.
In that case, there was no evidence that the man had been targeting individual lawmakers. That suspect was charged with one count of carrying a dangerous weapon and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Also, as RedState’s own Becca Lower reported at the time, in March 2024, a man was arrested for trying to smuggle a hammer into the visitor center of the Capitol.
See Related:BREAKING: Capitol Police Arrest Man Who Attempted to Bring Hammer Into Capitol
Authorities stated in a press release that around 3:40 p.m., a man identified as 33-year-old Christopher Snow of Canton, Ohio, was going through a screening at the Capitol Visitor Center when USCP noticed something was off about the contents inside his backpack:
As the man’s backpack went through the x-ray machine, a USCP officer noticed that a hammer was inside of the man’s bag.
Security in the nation’s capital has reportedly been heightened with the upcoming inauguration of President Trump for his second term.
This is a developing story. We will bring you updates as events warrant.
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UPDATE: Fox News’ Chad Pergram shared this crucial update from the Capitol Police:
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