WASHINGTON: US Capitol Police said that officers have arrested a man who attempted to enter the Capitol building smelling like fuel and armed with potentially dangerous devices.
"Our officers just arrested a man who was stopped during our screening process at the Capitol Visitor Centre. The man smelled like fuel, had a torch and a flare gun, " US Capitol Police said on social media platform X.
The man also had two containers that, when opened by police, smelled like gasoline, a law enforcement official said.
The Capitol Visitor Centre is closed for tours for the day, while investigation continues, Xinhua news agency reported.
Investigators tracked the suspect's previous movements and located his vehicle at 9th and Maryland Avenue, NE in Washington DC, "which was just cleared, " according to US Capitol Police.
On January 6, 2021, thousands of Donald Trump supporters violently broke into the Capitol building, and interrupted the certifying process of the 2020 presidential election, prompting hundreds of lawmakers to evacuate in panic.
The election this year is widely regarded as one of the most divisive in US history. According to an annual survey recently released by the American Psychological Association, over 70 per cent of US adults said they were worried that the election results could lead to violence.