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Man arrested at Capitol with flare gun, 'thesis' for Congress hoped to gain viral fame from arrest

The Capitol Visitor's Center was temporarily closed for tours while they investigated the incident.

WASHINGTON — A Michigan man arrested while attempting to enter the U.S. Capitol's Center with a flare gun and two bottles of gasoline hoped to gain viral fame from his arrest, according to charging documents filed in D.C. District Court.

According to USCP Chief Thomas Manger, the man, later identified as 28-year-old Austin M. Olson from Michigan, entered the visitor's center on Election Day and looked around for a moment before being told by officers to put his coat and backpack through security.

"He stood there for a few seconds and then put his stuff on the conveyor belt. As soon as his coat and backpack went through the screening area, U.S. Capitol Police officers saw something that appeared to be a firearm as well as two bottles," Manger said. "As they were standing there, one of the officers noticed a faint odor of gasoline. When they pulled the backpack off the conveyor belt they noticed a much stronger odor of gasoline. At that point the suspect was detained. He was placed under arrest. We found a flare gun and a torch lighter in his jacket. There were also other articles in his backpack. He is now in custody. Again, a very active investigation.”

Manger said Olson told officers he had papers described as a manifesto with him, and a letter he wanted to deliver to Congress. Police say the letter expressed his opinions on the war in the Middle East. The chief also said while some of the man's clothing smelled like gasoline, it did not appear he had doused himself. 

Olson was charged in D.C. District Court Wednesday with one count of carrying a dangerous weapon or incendiary device in a Capitol building. The charge is a felony that carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.

Charging documents filed in the case reveal more information about Olson's alleged motive. According to investigators, during an interview with police after his arrest, Olson said he'd packed up his "political thesis" on Nov. 4 — along with a flare gun, flares and his back pack — on Nov. 4 and started driving to D.C. Along the way, Olson stopped to fill a metal water bottle and gas liquor bottle with gasoline. Olson's alleged plan was to go viral following his arrest.

"OLSON admitted he wrote his 'thesis' and planned to travel to the Washington, D.C. on Election Day with the intent to deliver his 'thesis' to Congress and get arrested in the hope of gaining viral media attention to spread his message," investigators wrote. "OLSON specifically stated that he chose Election Day to maximize the impact of his statement. OLSON denied that he intended to start a fire or light himself on fire."

USCP posted notice of the arrest to their official account on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, just after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Neither the U.S. House of Representatives nor the U.S. Senate had votes scheduled Tuesday, although the House met for a brief pro forma session at 5 p.m.. The visitor’s center, which serves as the starting point for tours of the Capitol, is open nearly every day of the year regardless of whether Congress is in session.

USCP investigators said they tracked the man’s movements prior to coming to the Capitol and located his vehicle near the intersection of 9th Street and Maryland Avenue NE. Police said shortly before 3 p.m. the vehicle had been cleared.

Tours of the visitor’s center were temporarily halted while police investigated the incident.

Enhanced security precautions were in place District-wide Tuesday as the nation went to the polls to vote in the hotly contested 2024 General Election. Temporary fencing was put in place around the White House, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the Capitol complex and the Naval Observatory, which serves as the residence of the vice president.

Several business along 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW near the White House chose to preemptively board up their windows out of concern for civil unrest. D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said she intended to have her officers working 12-hour shifts as needed until Inauguration Day.

“If our officers did not stop this man, yesterday would have been a very different story than this one,” Manger said. “All of our employees continue to work, together, around the clock during this heightened security environment.”

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