A man with a torch, flare gun, and smelling of fuel was arrested at the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday, Capitol Police said.
The man was stopped during the screening process, police said. The Capitol Visitor Center is closed for tours while the investigation is ongoing, police said.
According to reporter Chad Pegram, the man’s clothes were removed immediately, and he had other flammable liquids with him.
He also wrote a 25-page manifesto and indicated that today he intended to deliver it to Congress, Pegram said. The manifesto featured anti-Israel and anti-government statements, sources told Pegram.
The man is a white man in his late 20s who drove all night from Michigan, Pegram said, citing sources. It is unknown if he intended to self-immolate, Pegram said.
The man is believed to be acting alone, Pegram said.