A 41-year-old man was arrested on Sunday outside the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., on charges of possessing a Molotov cocktail and making threats to kidnap or injure people, according to police.
The incident comes one week after a man rammed his pickup truck into the front of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing four worshipers and injuring eight others. The suspect was killed in a shootout with police after he set the chapel on fire, burning it to the ground, authorities said.
Police officers were already on scene providing security for a special Mass on Sunday when they encountered the suspect around 6 a.m., pitching a tent at the front entrance to the cathedral, according to a police statement.
“Officers determined that the individual was previously barred from the premises of the Cathedral. The individual refused to vacate the premises and was placed under arrest without incident,” according to the statement from the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department.
The suspect was identified as 41-year-old Louis Geri, whose last known address is Vineland, New Jersey, according to police.
While arresting Geri, officers observed the suspect had “multiple suspicious items” inside his tent, including vials of liquid, according to police.
The police department’s bomb squad and its Arson Task Force were called to the scene to conduct a closer search of the suspect’s belongings.
Geri was arrested on charges of unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person, and possession of a Molotov Cocktail, according to police.
The FBI, the police department’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were continuing to investigate the incident Sunday afternoon.
The scene was secured and there is no threat to public safety, according to police.
The incident occurred as the cathedral was preparing to celebrate its 73rd annual Red Mass on Sunday. According to the cathedral’s website, the special Mass is traditionally celebrated on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, which marks the opening of the Supreme Court’s annual term.
The purpose of the Mass, according to the cathedral’s website, is to “invoke God’s blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.”
According to the cathedral’s website, the Red Mass has previously been attended by chief justices and associate justices of the Supreme Court, as well as members of Congress and other federal and state leaders.
The funeral for President John F. Kennedy was held at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle on Nov. 25, 1963. During his September 2015 visit to Washington, D.C., the late Pope Francis visited the cathedral for midday prayer.
The post Man arrested outside Washington, DC, cathedral allegedly had a Molotov cocktail appeared first on ABC News.
