A man who tried to bring a machete and three knives into the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday was arrested, police said, hours before President-elect Donald Trump was set to visit.
U.S. Capitol Police said in a news release that just after 2 p.m. ET, during security screening at the center’s north doors, officers spotted a machete in a bag, which was going through the X-ray machine. Officers stopped the machine and searched the bag, which contained a machete and three knives.
Mel J. Horne, 44, of Washington, D.C., was arrested for multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon, police said. Horne will be interviewed by investigators to determine a motive.
“Our officers know they cannot let their guard down for one second,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. “It is this constant focus and attention to detail that helps keep this campus safe.”
Trump visited the Capitol on Wednesday to pay respects to former President Jimmy Carter, who is lying in state in the Capitol rotunda and whose funeral is Thursday, and to meet with Senate Republicans.
Security screening was temporarily stopped at the north side of the visitor center while police investigated, but the checkpoint was reopened approximately an hour later. Public viewing for Carter was not stopped and will continue throughout the night into Thursday morning.
This is the second time in two weeks that Capitol Police arrested a man carrying a machete and a knife, this time on the east front of the Capitol building. On Dec. 27, police said they arrested Jose Leonardo Marquez, 23, on charges of carrying a dangerous weapon and possession of a prohibited weapon.
Capitol Police said in a news release that an officer approached the suspect after noticing him pacing before sitting on a ledge. The officer noticed a brick in the suspect's pocket, and after the officer asked him to toss the brick to the side and he complied, the man also pulled out a knife and placed the knife on the ledge. The officer then saw the handle of a machete under the man's clothing.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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