U.S. Capitol Police on Wednesday accused President-elect Donald Trump of trying to set his car on fire as he paid his respects to former President Jimmy Carter, who was lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. The identity of the arrested man has been determined.
A Virginia man, Adrian J. Hinton, 35, is the suspect, police announced Thursday morning.
He is charged with criminal mischief after he allegedly placed a flaming bag on top of a car near the Grant Memorial around 5:30 p.m.
Officials said the bag burned out without igniting anything.
Capitol Police arrest man who tried to set fire to Trump's car during President Trump's visit to D.C. with Republican senators
U.S. Capitol fenced in preparation for January 6, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
Capitol Police said the car was loaded with accelerant and Hinton's car was spray painted.
Hinton's arrest was one of two incidents of intimidation at the Capitol on Wednesday, where Trump, members of Congress and thousands of Americans lined up to pay their respects to Carter.
Police also said that about three hours earlier, a man who allegedly arrived at the Capitol with an array of knives, including a machete, tried to pass through security checkpoints using an X-ray machine at the Capitol Visitor Center. was arrested.
Mel J. Horn, 44, faces multiple charges of carrying a dangerous weapon.
Police arrested a man who tried to bring a machete and three knives into the Capitol just hours before Trump's arrival.
U.S. Capitol Police stopped a man at a security checkpoint as he tried to enter the Capitol after allegedly carrying a machete and three knives in his bag. (U.S. Capitol Police)
Capitol Police said they do not believe the two incidents are related. Both arrests did not interrupt Mr. Carter's work.
“Today, our officers twice stopped a man who posed a potential danger to the Capitol community,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Munger said in a statement. “This vigilance is extremely important during this time of increased security.”
Mr. Carter was scheduled to lie in state in state from 7:30 p.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Thursday.
A Scout troop salutes in front of the flag-draped casket during former President Jimmy Carter's interment ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 8, 2025. He passed away at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024 at his home in Plains, Georgia. (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
He was the 39th man to become president and died on December 29 at the age of 100.
Carter, a Democrat, is a devout Christian who served in the Navy and served as governor of Georgia before running for the White House.
His signature achievement may have been the Camp David Accords, a deal involving Israel and Egypt aimed at stabilizing the Middle East. But his failure to resolve the Iran hostage crisis likely cost him his re-election bid.
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All five living presidents were scheduled to attend his funeral Thursday morning, with outgoing President Joe Biden scheduled to deliver the eulogy.
FOX News' Sarah Rumpf-Witten contributed to this report.
