U.S. Capitol Police said Tuesday it arrested a man with a guillotine in the bed of his pickup truck near the Supreme Court.
Philan-Tam-Duy Le, 35, of Julian, California, was arrested for carrying a dangerous weapon, police said in a news release.
Shortly after 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Capitol Police spotted the pickup truck, “which was illegally parked” along the East Capitol Street, a small street that runs next to the Supreme Court and steps from the U.S. Capitol building, according to the release. Capitol Police shared photos showing the massive guillotine.
Lawmakers were not at the Capitol when the man was arrested as Congress is in recess. But the arrest comes amid concerns around the rising threats of violence to members of Congress and the U.S. government.
In 2025, Capitol Police responded to nearly 15,000 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed against Members of Congress, their families, staff, and the Capitol Complex,” according to a January press release. This was a more than a 57 per cent increase from 2024.
Police said Le drove from California to Washington, DC. They are going through his background to learn more about his motivation to come to the nation’s capital.
Last month, Capitol Police arrested a man at the north barricade of the Capitol who they said had a handgun, which is prohibited on Capitol grounds.
CNN has not been able to reach Le for comment. Le’s brother, Kelvin Le, told the Los Angeles Times that the guillotine was a “symbol of disapproval,” adding that Le was unhappy with Democrats and Republicans, and disliked both U.S. President Donald Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I don’t think he’d hurt anyone,” said Kelvin Le, who told the LA Times he was surprised to learn of the arrest.
