The United States Capitol Police (USCP) arrested a man accused of attempting to set a car on fire near the Capitol as President-elect Donald Trump visited the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday night to pay respects to former President Jimmy Carter, who was lying in state.
The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Adrian J. Hinton of Virginia, was taken into custody and charged with engaging in unlawful activities, according to a statement from the USCP. Authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s motive or whether the incident was linked to political tensions.
As The Washington Times reports:
The burning happened just before 5:30 p.m. on First Street Northwest near the Grant Memorial.
The car had been spray-painted and Mr. Hinton set aflame a bag he put atop the vehicle.
Virginia man arrested after trying to set car on fire outside the Capitol as Trump paid respects to Jimmy Carter and met with GOP senators https://t.co/F3cdwak37A pic.twitter.com/liw4l0dFR3
— New York Post (@nypost) January 9, 2025
Mr. Hinton’s arrest came a few hours after Capitol Police arrested a man who attempted to enter the Capitol Visitor Center with a bag containing a machete and three knives. Police said the two incidents do not appear to be connected.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
Wednesday’s attempted arson occurred just one week after a deadly explosion involving a Tesla Cybertruck at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. On New Year’s Day, around 8:40 a.m., a 2024 Cybertruck—driven by active-duty Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, a Green Beret on approved leave—pulled up to the hotel’s lobby entrance under the porte-cochère. Witnesses reported seeing smoke emanating from the vehicle moments before a massive explosion rocked the area, injuring seven people and burning Livelsberger’s body beyond recognition.
Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened. pic.twitter.com/KaVZXfGLNK
— ayackle (@kaaaassuu) January 1, 2025
Investigators later determined that Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head shortly before the explosion, which remains under investigation.
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