Michigan man arrested at Capitol with manifesto and blowtorch

The U.S. Capitol Police announced Tuesday that officers arrested a man who “smelled of gasoline” and had a torch and flare gun at the U.S. Capitol.

Capitol Police said the man, whose name was not immediately released, was arrested during the security screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).

“The CVC is closed to tours for the day while we investigate. We will provide more information when we can,” Capitol Police posted on X.

Fox learned the suspect also wrote a 25-page manifesto and indicated he intended to deliver it to Congress on Tuesday.

The arrest took place around 12:30 p.m. ET, congressional security sources and people familiar with the investigation told Fox News.

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The sources said the suspect's clothes reeked of fuel and his clothes were wet. The Capitol Police immediately noticed this and arrested him. His clothes were immediately removed, the sources added.

A view of the United States Capitol in Washington DC on November 4, 2024, ahead of the presidential election. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The sources confirmed that the suspect had with him a blowtorch, a flare gun and other flammable liquids.

A senior source told Fox News that investigators were unsure whether the suspect intended to self-immolate.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s who drove all night from Michigan to the Capitol.

Sources said the suspect appears to be acting alone and was not on the radar of the U.S. Capitol Police.

A view of the security fence near the United States Capitol in Washington, DC on November 4, 2024, ahead of the presidential election. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Reached for comment, a Capitol Police spokesperson told Fox News Digital the investigation was ongoing and declined to provide additional information about the suspect.

The arrest took place on Election Day, as voters across the country went to the polls. The presidency and control of both houses of Congress are at stake.

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On Monday, the Secret Service confirmed it was erecting barriers around major sites in the nation's capital, including the White House and the vice president's residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Meanwhile, private businesses in major cities, like New York, Portland and Washington, D.C., have also followed suit by shuttering their storefronts.

Companies close to the White House implemented security measures in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2024, in anticipation of possible violence during and after the November 5 election. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Secret Service said it is “working closely” with federal, state and local partners in the nation's capital and Palm Beach County, Florida, to implement “increased levels of safety and security” in the future. elections on Tuesday. In addition to the White House and the Naval Observatory, the fences will also block the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., and authorities have used bicycle barriers to fortify the Capitol, according to The Washington Post.

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Meanwhile, Howard University, where Harris will be on election night, will also have increased security measures, the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department said.

This is a developing story. Please check again for updates. Alec Schemmel of Fox News contributed to this report.