Man who ‘smelled like fuel’ arrested with torch, flare gun at US Capitol Visitor’s Center

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police said they arrested a man with a torch and a flare gun who attempted to enter the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday.

USCP posted notice of the arrest to their official account on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, just after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Neither the U.S. House of Representatives nor the U.S. Senate were in session Tuesday. The visitor’s center, which serves as the starting point for tours of the Capitol, is open nearly every day of the year regardless of whether Congress is in session.

According to the department’s post, the man was stopped during the screen process when officers noticed he “smelled like fuel.” They subsequently found him in possession of a torch and flare gun.

Police said tours of the visitor’s center were being temporarily halted while they investigated the incident.

No other details about the individual were immediately reported. Capitol Police said Tuesday afternoon they would provide more information about the arrest as it became available.

Enhanced security precautions were in place District-wide Tuesday as the nation went to the polls to vote in the hotly contested 2024 General Election. Temporary fencing was put in place around the White House, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the Capitol complex and the Naval Observatory, which serves as the residence of the vice president.

Several business along 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the White House chose to preemptively board up their windows out of concern for civil unrest. D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said she intended to have her officers working 12-hour shifts as needed until Inauguration Day.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.