Man arrested trying to enter U.S. Capitol with machete and three knives
On January 8, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) reported that a man with a machete and three knives was arrested Wednesday during a security screening for people waiting in line to view former President Jimmy Carter as he lied in state, according to NBC News.
Just after 2:00 p.m., during security screening at the Capitol Visitor Center’s north doors, USCP officers spotted a machete in a bag as that bag was going through the x-ray machine. Officers stopped the machine and searched the bag, which contained a machete and three knives.
“Our officers know they cannot let their guard down for one second,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “It is this constant focus and attention to detail that helps keep this campus safe.”
44-year-old Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., was arrested for multiple counts of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon.
Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the Capitol Visitor Center, while the USCP investigated, but the checkpoint was reopened approximately an hour later. Public viewing for the lying in state was not stopped and continued throughout the night, into Thursday morning.
Horne will be interviewed by USCP investigators to determine his motive. And although no motive has yet been revealed, Fox News reported that the man tried getting into the Capitol Building with his knives and machete “hours before President-elect Trump was expected to meet with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill.”
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(Source: U.S. Capitol Police)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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