A machete and three knives were seized from a man arrested at a Capitol checkpoint as former President Jimmy Carter lay in the Capitol Rotunda on January 8, 2025, Capitol Police said. .
Source: U.S. Capitol Police
police arrested a man On Wednesday, former President Jimmy Carter, who died in late December, lay in the Capitol Rotunda as he tried to break into the Capitol with a machete and three knives.
The arrest came just hours before President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to visit the Capitol to pay tribute to Carter and meet with Republican senators.
The man is Mel Horn, a 44-year-old resident of Washington, DC., According to the U.S. Capitol Police, the suspect was stopped shortly after 2 p.m. ET after an officer discovered a machete in his bag during an X-ray examination at the Capitol Visitor Center.
Officers said they also found three knives in the bag.
Following the discovery, police suspended security screening north of the visitor center for about an hour, USCP said.
Mr. Horn was arrested on multiple charges of possession of a dangerous weapon.
“We know that our officers cannot let their guard down for even a second,” USCP Director Thomas Munger said in a press release. “This constant focus and attention to detail helps keep this campus safe.”
Horn will be questioned to determine his motive, USCP said. Police said in a statement that there is no active threat to the Capitol, Congress or the public at this time.
Carter, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100, was ceremonially brought to the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday to lie in state. His casket will remain there until his funeral Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral.
The public was allowed to come to the Capitol starting Tuesday night to pay their respects to the 39th president. Police said Horne’s arrest did not prevent him from being shown to the public in the Rotunda.
Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated on January 20th.
President Joe Biden returned to Washington, D.C., from Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon to meet with California Governor Gavin Newsom about the devastating wildfires that are still raging across the city.
Mr. Biden is expected to deliver a eulogy for Mr. Carter at his funeral Thursday.
