Massachusetts Man Charged with Attempted Assassination of Cabinet Candidate

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that a suspect from Massachusetts has been charged this week with trying to assassinate a candidate for a Cabinet position.

Ryan Michael English, aged 24, was arrested in January for allegedly attempting to bring a knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails to the U.S. Capitol, aiming to kill then-Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent during his confirmation.

On Thursday, English faced charges of attempted assassination of a Cabinet candidate and possessing dangerous weapons on Capitol grounds.

He made an appearance in court on Thursday afternoon.

Interestingly, prosecutors mentioned that English’s actions were initially inspired by another suspect, Luigi Mangione, who had plotted to kill House Speaker Mike Johnson and Defense Secretary Pete Hegzes.

On January 27, English approached a police officer at the U.S. Capitol, reportedly saying, “I want to submit myself,” which raises questions about his intentions.

Court documents reveal that he carried two Molotov cocktails and two knives, and he allegedly stated he was there “to kill Scott Bescent.” Furthermore, he had left his Massachusetts home with the intent to target Hegzes, accusing him of being associated with “Nazis,” and intended to burn down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank near the White House.

Capitol police found a folding knife and two makeshift incendiary devices made from vodka bottles during their search of English. There was also a green lighter found in another pocket, adding to the seriousness of the situation.