U.S. Capitol Police said a man with a machete and three knives was arrested Wednesday during a security screening for people waiting in line to view former President Jimmy Carter as he lies in state.
Mel J. Horne, of Washington, D.C., was arrested on multiple charges of carrying a dangerous weapon, Capitol Police said in a news release.
Police officers said they spotted the machete in a bag shortly after 2 p.m. ET as it went through an X-ray machine at the Capitol Visitor Center. The bag also contained three knives, Capitol Police said.
As officers investigated, screening at the north site of the Visitor Center was paused for about an hour, the agency said.
"Horne will be interviewed by USCP investigators to determine his motive," Capitol Police said in the news release. "At this time there is no on-going threat towards the Congress, the U.S. Capitol, or the public."
Horne, 44, was arrested hours before President-elect Donald Trump arrived at the Capitol to pay his respects to Carter and meet with Senate Republicans. The visit appears to be Trump’s first appearance at the Capitol since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.
Carter’s casket was taken to the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon. He will lie in state through Thursday morning, when a service will be held at Washington National Cathedral.
Capitol Police also said Wednesday that officers arrested a 35-year-old Virginia man who lit a bag containing accelerants on fire on top of his car near the Capitol.
The man, whose name has not yet been released, was arrested for unlawful activities. Capitol Police said they did not believe the two incidents were connected.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in a statement. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
Capitol Police have made other arrests at the Visitor Center over the past year.
In November, Capitol Police arrested a man officers said was carrying a flare gun, a torch lighter and bottles of fuel.
Earlier last year, the agency said it arrested a man attempting to enter the Visitor Center with a hammer.
The Capitol was reinforced with additional fencing, heightened patrols, more officers and coordination with other agencies ahead of the certification of Trump’s electoral victory this week, Capitol Police said. Similar security protocols are expected during his inauguration on Jan. 20.
