A man was arrested Monday (Sept. 13) near Democratic Party headquarters in Washington with a machete and bayonet in his vehicle with swastikas and other racist symbols depicted, US Congressional police said.
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Donald Craighead was driving a pickup without a license plate when he was arrested around midnight, authorities detailed in a statement.
The 44-year-old man from California told police he was "
on patrol
" before talking about "
white supremacist ideology and other white supremacist
talk,"
according to police.
A demonstration scheduled for Saturday
The vehicle was intercepted 500 meters from the Capitol, the seat of the United States Congress, the scene of a deadly assault by supporters of Donald Trump in early January.
Police said they did not know if the man had come to Washington to attend the demonstration scheduled for Saturday in support of supporters of the former Republican president, arrested and charged for participating in the invasion of Congress on January 6. .
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Security barriers will be installed around the Capitol again ahead of the rally, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said. They will be erected "
a day or two before
" the demonstration and quickly dismantled "
if all goes well,
" he said. Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer said police "
were much better prepared
" compared to January 6.
Faced with too few police officers, hundreds of demonstrators forced the doors of Congress when parliamentarians gathered to certify the victory of Democrat Joe Biden against the outgoing Republican president.
Nearly 600 people have since been arrested and charged for their participation in the attack in which five people died.
Unauthorized political banners
The demonstration scheduled for Saturday, called "
Justice for J6
", wants to denounce "
the tyrannical and inhuman treatment of political prisoners on January 6,
" according to its organizers who asked participants not to wear political inscriptions. "
This includes clothes or banners supporting President Trump or President Biden,
" they say on their website.
The seat of the American legislature, which remains marked by the memory of the assault, has since been the scene of other incidents. On August 19, a man threatened for long hours to set off an explosive device he claimed to have in his vehicle parked in front of Congress, before surrendering to authorities. On April 2, a policeman was killed and another injured when a young man threw his car against a roadblock protecting the entrance, before being shot.
