Man arrested at Capitol smelling like fuel on Election Day had weapon, manifesto

A Michigan man who showed up to the visitors’ center of the U.S. Capitol on Election Day smelling like fuel and carrying a torch and a flare gun also brought an apparent manifesto about war in the Middle East, police say.

Austin M. Olson, 28, of Westland, Michigan, is charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful activities and disorderly conduct, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said Wednesday. Olson allegedly traveled from Michigan to D.C. on Monday.

USCP said Olson was in the process of going through security at the Capitol Visitor Center about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday when officers discovered the torch and flare gun in his jacket. Inside his backpack, officers found bottles that appeared to have fuel residue and one officer noticed there was a faint odor of gasoline or some type of accelerant on the man, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said. That odor became much stronger when they opened the backpack, he said.

The man smelled like he had doused his clothing with fuel, USCP said Wednesday.

Police also found “what appears to be a manifesto” and a letter to Congress about the suspect’s opinions on war in the Middle East, USCP said.

Police did not elaborate on what the letter said, and the agency is still trying to figure out why Olson showed up at the Capitol with those items, USCP said. Earlier, Manger said the man had "quite a bit" of papers with him and said he intended to deliver them to Congress.

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"It did not appear that he had doused all of his clothing. … so it's really unknown at this point what his intention was," Manger said.

Investigators tracked the suspect's previous movements and found his vehicle at 9th Street and Maryland Avenue NE. That scene has been cleared, they said.

Manger said video shows the man walking slowly toward the visitor center and looking around. He said the suspect had heavier clothing than what was necessary for the unusually warm November day.

Once inside the security screening area, the man hesitated for a moment when an officer asked him to put his stuff in the machine, Manger said.

Manger said on Tuesday that his department has been on heightened alert for any potential violence on Election Day, but "there's no indication right now that it had anything to do with the election."

Every state attorney general in the country released a letter Monday condemning possible political violence, but Election Day passed without a major incident.

“We expect that Americans will respond peacefully” regardless of the outcome, the attorneys general said in the letter.

Experts have told the News4 I-Team for months that support for politically motivated violence is at alarming levels.