Man arrested after trying to bring machete, knives into US Capitol, police say

A man was arrested Wednesday after police said he tried to bring a machete and several knives into the U.S. Capitol.

The man was stopped just after 2 p.m. during security screening at the Capitol Visitor Center’s north doors. According to police, officers spotted a machete in his bag and arrested him.

Officers also found three knives in the man’s bag, U.S. Capitol Police said.

Authorities are charging the man with multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon.

The arrest comes as former President Jimmy Carter’s body is lying in state at the Capitol.

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to arrive to the U.S. Capitol later Wednesday, his first time in the building since he left office in 2021, to honor Carter before Trump goes to meet with Senate Republicans, The Associated Press reported.

Visitors enter through the Capitol Visitor Center, but it’s not clear why the man was visiting.

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Thomas Robertson

Thomas Robertson is an Associate Producer and Web Writer/Editor at WTOP. After graduating in 2019 from James Madison University, Thomas moved away from Virginia for the first time in his life to cover the local government beat for a small daily newspaper in Zanesville, Ohio.

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