US elections: A man is arrested in the Capitol with the smell of fuel and torches

The arrest of a man who tried to bring a flare gun, a lighter and an “accelerant” to the United States Capitol on election day, is reigniting simmering concerns among lawmakers about security surrounding the 2024 elections.

Congressional lawmakers from both parties fear that regardless of who wins the presidential election, violence may inevitably follow.

According to a statement from the Capitol Police, The individual was arrested while passing through security checks at the Capitol Visitor Centerthrough which tourists who visit the Legislative facilities pass.

“Our officers just arrested a man who was detained during our check-in process at the Capitol Visitor Center. “The man smelled like fuel, he had a torch and a flare gun,” it was reported in a brief message.

The Capitol Police Chief, Thomas Manger, He told reporters that the suspect, identified only as a white man from outside DC, was arrested at a security checkpoint at the Capitol Visitor Center at approximately 12:20 p.m. ET.

Officers searched the man and his backpack and found a lighter, a flare gun and two bottles containing “some type of accelerant, it could have been gasoline,” Manger said.

Manger said the man “had papers with him that he said it was his intention to deliver… to Congress” and that officers were still interviewing him and reviewing his social media Tuesday afternoon.

As a result of the arrest and to facilitate the investigation, The Capitol will not offer guided tours to the public today.

The United States holds elections this Tuesday between the Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris and the former Republican president Donald Trump. Americans also vote to elect representatives of the Lower House and a third of the Senate, in addition to other local races.

The day has developed for the most part normally.although isolated incidents have been reported, such as false bomb threats that the FBI believes come from Russian email domains.

Keep reading:
• Follow real-time coverage of the elections in the United States
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• What is Joe Bien doing while the US chooses his successor?