A 35-year-old man from Virginia was arrested for Unlawful Activities Wednesday after he attempted to set his car on fire on First Street Northwest near the Grant Memorial, according to U.S. Capitol Police.
It was the second security incident at the U.S. Capitol that occurred Wednesday as mourners pay respects to former President Jimmy Carter.
USCP said the man lit a bag on top of his car on fire, and the bag extinguished itself as officers ran to the man. He was then arrested.
The vehicle was declared suspicious out of an abundance of caution, and the USCP Hazardous Incident Response Division cleared it.
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The fire department and hazmat were called to the scene as well.
At around 7 p.m., the vehicle was determined not dangerous, USCP said.
The car had been spray painted and the bag had accelerants inside of it, according to investigators.
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Earlier on Wednesday, a 44-year-old D.C. man was also arrested when he was caught with a machete and three other knives at a Capitol checkpoint. He faces multiple charges of carrying a dangerous weapon.
The two cases are not believed to be connected.
The public viewing will continue into Thursday morning.
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