Security bike racks stand outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the National Women's March in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 2, 2024. (Allison Robbert, AFP, Getty Images via TNS)
A 28-year-old from a Detroit suburb has been identified as the man arrested Tuesday and charged with trying to enter the U.S. Capitol complex with a flare gun, torch lighter and bottles of fuel, according to law enforcement authorities.
Austin M. Olson, of Westland, Michigan, has been charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful activities and disorderly conduct. He had not made an initial court appearance as of Wednesday morning, and it could not immediately be determined whether he has an attorney.
Attempts to reach Olson’s relatives were not successful. Police said that a motive remains unclear but that they do not believe his actions had anything to do with Tuesday’s election. Authorities said they found documents indicating that his grievance was focused on war in the Middle East.
The incident occurred shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. In a statement, U.S. Capitol Police said Olson tried to enter the Capitol Visitor Center and got in line at a security screening checkpoint. He was told to put his jacket through an X-ray machine.
Police said officers saw items that appeared suspicious. They later recovered a flare gun, a torch lighter and two bottles of fuel, police said in the statement. Police said Olson “smelled like he doused part of his clothing with fuel.”
Officers also found “what appears to be a manifesto and a letter to Congress,” the police statement said, adding: “The letter was focused on the man’s opinions on the war in the middle east.” The incident forced officials to close the Visitor Center and cancel public tours for the day.
Police said they found a sedan used by Olson at 9th Street and Maryland Avenue NE. Officials believe Olson traveled to D.C. from Michigan on Monday, the statement said.
“If our officers did not stop this man, yesterday would have been a very different story than this one,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in the statement.
