Police communicating with man near US Capitol who claims to have bomb in pickup
Category: News & Politics
Via: john-russell • 3 years ago • 9 commentsBy: Savannah Behrmann and Kevin Johnson (MSN)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON - The United States Capitol Police on Thursday were negotiating with a man in a black pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol who claimed to have an explosive device, prompting an evacuation of parts of the government complex.
USCP Chief Tom Manger said authorities seized on the vehicle early Thursday after it had been driven on the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress building by a man claiming to have a device and what appeared to be a detonator in his hand.
© Patrick Semansky, AP A Metropolitan Police Department cruiser blocks a street near the U.S. Capitol and a Library of Congress building in Washington on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, as law enforcement officials investigate a report of a pickup truck containing an explosive device.
The chief said department negotiators have been communicating with the driver in an effort to bring "a peaceful resolution to this incident."
Manger did not name the driver, but the chief said investigators have confirmed his identity.
"We don't know what his motives are," Manger said.
MEDIA ALERT: This is an active bomb threat investigation. The staging area for journalists covering this situation is at Constitution and First Street, NW for your safety.
Please continue to avoid the area around the Library of Congress. pic.twitter.com/jTNVaBmVwR
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 19, 2021
Several congressional staffers confirmed to USA TODAY they have been told about the active bomb threat. According to alerts sent by the USCP, they have also closed down roads surrounding the Capitol complex and have evacuated most of the office buildings.
Capitol Police are leading the response that includes the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the D.C. Metropolitan Police.
In a brief statement, the FBI's Washington Field Office referred to "reports of a suspicious vehicle and bomb threat near the Library of Congress."
Both chambers of Congress are currently out of session for their summer breaks . Most lawmakers are currently not in their D.C. offices.
Patricia McCabe, a public information officer for the Supreme Court, said the Supreme Court building was also evacuated shortly after 10 a.m. EST Thursday morning. It is closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she had been briefed on the continuing investigation and urged the public to stay away from the Capitol area.
I have been briefed on the evolving situation near the Library of Congress. The @DCPoliceDept is assisting the U.S. Capitol Police in the response, and will provide an update when there is additional information to share. For now, please avoid the area near the Capitol.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 19, 2021
The D.C. Metro Police Department said it is "canvassing" the Capitol Hill residential neighborhood and asking residents to "evacuate outside of that area."
The threat of an explosive near the Capitol recalled a chilling aspect of the Jan. 6 riot investigation that remains unresolved.
Two pipe bombs were placed near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees the night before the deadly Capitol siege. In that investigation, federal authorities have repeatedly appealed for the public's help in locating a suspect seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.
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An anti-government wacko is threatening to detonate a bomb in the heart of an area of government buildings in Washington DC.
Awaiting his exact motive.
Looks like we posted this at the same time.
“It’s love for America, buddy, I have no fear,” he said at one point, fighting back tears. “None. The cracking in my voice is the passion I have for the land I love. It’s coming. Somebody needs to tell Joe Biden, ‘We here.’ The fucking revolution starts today, Joe Biden. And before you go cracking any pops on me, you better get your military experts out and ask them motherfuckers what a seven-and-a-half pound keg of gunpowder and a two-and-a-half pound of [explosives] on top of that can do.”
Thursday’s incident came on the heels of months of threats aimed at the Capitol, beginning with the pro-Trump mob that stormed the building on Jan. 6 and left multiple people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.
ok i didnt know that
let them both stay up
In the video, the man holds a metal container of what he claims is tannerite, a binary explosive compound popular with firearms enthusiasts for its ability to detonate by gunfire. The man seen in the video matches the description and location of a photograph posted to Twitter by a passerby who wrote that the picture was taken while “casually seeing witnessing a bomb threat on the way to class.”
The man identified himself in the livestream videos and on Facebook as a Trump supporter who believes the Democrats must “step down.”
Old videos on his Facebook page show he participated in at least one rally to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. On Nov. 14, he uploaded multiple videos from a “Million MAGA March” in Washington, D.C.
“I love this land,” the man said in one of his livestream videos on Thursday, which was reviewed by The Daily Beast before it was removed. “We got a few options here, Joe. You shoot me, two-and-a-half blocks go with it. And then you’re talking about revolution? The revolution’s on. It’s here, it’s today. Told my wife I’d be home by Sunday. I’m looking for all my other patriots to come out and help me. Cause I got it standing. I got the foundation built, people.”
The man said he had a wife and two kids, but that they didn’t know he was there.
Citing law enforcement sources, MSNBC reported that the man was negotiating with police by writing messages on a whiteboard. Police couldn’t immediately confirm that the bomb was in fact operable or that he had a detonator.
In the video, the man indicated several times that there were four other explosives, “sittin’ around this town,” but that he didn’t know where they were because “we all came in different ways.”
What looked like a bomb can be seen in his lap when he turned the camera to his face at one point. He claimed his toolbox is full of ammonium nitrate.
“When this bomb goes off there's gonna be four more right behind it, and then the patriots are gonna come, because you don’t know where them four are sitting one of them might be sitting at your backdoor—better, better talk to me, Joe,” he said at one point, referring to President Joe Biden, who he appeared to be speaking to throughout the rambling videos.
The wacko has a manifesto where he says he wants to start a war.
The suspect is a confirmed Trumpster fanatic.
I suppose blowing up the capital is his idea how to "Make America Great Again?" He's nothing but an insane domestic terrorist and should be dealt with accordingly!
I'm watching his video . He is talking about "the south" coming for Joe Biden.