Capitol Police arrest man who was attempting to set car on fire, second major incident on Wednesday

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) arrested a second man on Wednesday, this time detaining a man who allegedly attempted to set his car on fire near the Capitol complex while President-elect Donald Trump was in the building.

USCP arrested another man earlier Wednesday who tried to enter the Capitol visitor center with knives and a machete in his bag. The man was in the security line to honor the late President Jimmy Carter, who is currently lying in state at the Capitol rotunda. 

The police confirmed in a statement that it took the second man into custody because of a suspicious vehicle. The incident occurred near the Grant memorial at approximately 5:30 p.m. Eastern. The man allegedly lit a bag on fire while he was on his vehicle, but it extinguished on its own when police approached him.

Police officers determined that the accelerants were in the bag, but the vehicle was declared suspicious out of an abundance of caution and was later cleared by the USCP’s Hazardous Incident Response Division. 

“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”

It is not clear what the suspect had intended to do with the lighted substance, or what substance was used. But a source told the Daily Wire that the substance was napalm, which has been used on battlefields in flamethrowers and bombs.

The USCP said the man has been arrested for Unlawful Activities, but his motive is not clear. The first was charged with multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.