Terrifying attack at the U.S. Capitol has Washington, D.C. on lockdown

capitol police

There unfortunately isn’t a shortage of violence in today’s world. But this especially hits close to home.

As a terrifying attack at the U.S. Capitol has Washington, D.C. on lockdown.

On Wednesday evening, U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man near the Grant Memorial by the Capitol after he claimed to have napalm in his vehicle. The incident unfolded close to the time President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to visit the Capitol to honor the late former President Jimmy Carter.

The situation came to light when a grounds crew worker observed the man attempting to ignite something near his car, which was parked in front of the memorial’s statue. According to a source close to the situation, the man admitted he had “napalm” in his vehicle and was “trying to light it on fire.”

Napalm, a highly flammable substance first developed during World War II, has historically been used in flamethrowers and bombs.

Capitol Police swiftly intervened, responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle.

“Our officers have taken the driver into custody,” Capitol Police announced on X. “As is routine, our bomb squad will investigate the suspicious vehicle.” Authorities cordoned off a wide area around the car and urged the public to avoid the location.

In a separate development the same day, Capitol Police arrested another man who attempted to bring a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center.

According to officials, the man was stopped at a security checkpoint around 2 p.m. after officers noticed the machete in his bag during x-ray screening.

“During security screening at the CVC’s north doors, our officers spotted a machete in the man’s bag, stopped the x-ray machine, arrested the man, and secured the machete,” police reported. Three additional knives were discovered in the man’s possession, and he was charged with multiple counts of “Carrying a Dangerous Weapon.”

Uptick In Violence Surrounding Our Nation’s Politics

These incidents are part of a broader trend of increasing tension and violence in American politics. The attempted targeting of high-profile political figures, including multiple assassination attempts against former President Trump, has spotlighted the nation’s polarized climate.

Political violence is on the rise, with attacks on public officials, their families, and government institutions becoming more frequent. Last year alone, countless elected officials were the targets of SWATing attempts. SWATing is where someone makes a false claim to the police about a violent crime occurring at a certain address or by a certain individual. These claims – not known at the time if they’re valid or not by law enforcement – requires police to check out the claim by sending their SWAT team to the scene.

Experts warn that such incidents and political violence overall can contribute to a culture of fear and instability. From threats against lawmakers to assassination attempts against Donald Trump, the United States has seen a growing erosion of civil discourse in favor of hostility and aggression.

Without concerted efforts to address these divisions, the potential for more extreme acts of violence remains a pressing concern. It’s past time to turn down the temperature of political rhetoric in order to thwart any type of political violence.

Yet some on the radical Left has refused to do so and are perfectly fine with continuing on by calling Trump a threat to democracy and a Nazi. This is the type of rhetoric that does nothing but stoke the flames of violence in this country.

So as authorities continue to investigate these latest threats, like the one at the Capitol earlier this week, the nation grapples with the need for both security measures and a reckoning with the underlying causes of its deepening political strife.

Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.

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