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Capitol Police arrested a 35-year-old man from Virginia on Wednesday (January 8) after he allegedly attempted to set his car on fire near the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial on Capitol Hill. The incident occurred as President-elect Donald Trump was visiting Republican lawmakers and paying respects to the late former President Jimmy Carter.
The man, identified as Adrian J. Hinton, reportedly parked his vehicle in front of the memorial and set a bag on top of it ablaze. The bag extinguished itself before officers arrived and detained the suspect. Capitol Police's Hazardous Incident Response Division inspected the vehicle and found no immediate danger, though accelerants were discovered inside the bag.
Hinton's motive remains unclear, but authorities confirmed there is no ongoing threat. A grounds crew worker first noticed the man trying to ignite something in his car, and the suspect allegedly claimed to have napalm.
Earlier that day, Capitol Police arrested another individual, Mel J. Horne, for attempting to bring weapons into the US Capitol Visitor Center. Police do not believe the two incidents are related. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger praised the officers' vigilance during this period of heightened security.