Police apprehend man claiming to have bomb near US Capitol

The US Capitol Police said they were investigating a bomb threat on Thursday near the Library of Congress.

Library of Congress photo taken from top of the Capitol dome. (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Library of Congress photo taken from top of the Capitol dome.
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Law enforcement officials were negotiating with a man who said he had a bomb in his pick-up truck near the US Capitol on Thursday, causing nearby buildings to be evacuated as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene about a mile from the White House.

Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger told reporters that the man parked his vehicle on a sidewalk outside the US Library of Congress and told an officer who approached him that he had a bomb while holding what appeared to be a detonator.

Police do not know the man's motive, he said.

"My negotiators are hard at work trying to have a peaceful resolution to this incident," Manger said at a press conference.

A video livestreamed on Facebook appeared to show a man speaking inside a truck parked on a sidewalk outside of what looked like the Library of Congress.

"The revolution's on, it's here," the man said. "I'm trying to get (US President) Joe Biden on the phone."

Police did not say whether the video was made by the suspect.

A US law enforcement source said the presence of explosives had not been confirmed.

The man is now in custody, law enforcement said on Thursday. 

Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including the US Supreme Court. People in the Madison office building were told to bar themselves in their offices. A nearby subway station was closed.


Stay updated with the latest news!

Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter


Police blocked off roads surrounding the Capitol complex as fire and rescue trucks headed to the area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was sending a bomb technician to support police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also responded.

The ordinarily crowded Capitol Hill area was relatively deserted, with the US House of Representatives and Senate out of session.

High-security fencing was erected in the area after the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, but it had been removed by mid-July.

US Capitol Police on Thursday said they have identified the suspect claiming to have placed a bomb near the US Capitol, adding that they do not know the suspect's motives and that negotiations are ongoing. 

Law enforcement officials surrounded a man with possible explosives sitting in a vehicle near the US Capitol on Thursday, as nearby buildings were evacuated and emergency vehicles rushed to the scene about a mile from the White House.

"This is an active bomb threat investigation," the US Capitol Police said on Twitter.

The man was in a vehicle outside the Library of Congress, across the street from the Capitol, a US law enforcement source said.

The law enforcement source said the presence of explosives had not been confirmed.

 United States Library of Congress (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
United States Library of Congress (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

But people in Congress were notified that the vehicle's occupant had said that he possessed a bomb and that authorities were crafting their responses with that threat in mind, an official told Reuters.

Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including the US Supreme Court. People in the Madison office building were told to bar themselves in their offices. A nearby subway station was closed.

Police blocked off roads surrounding the Capitol complex as fire and rescue trucks headed to the area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was sending a bomb technician to support police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also responded.

The ordinarily crowded Capitol Hill area was relatively deserted, with the US House of Representatives and Senate out of session.

"The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress," the Capitol Police wrote on Twitter. "Please stay away from this area."