Man arrested near US Capitol after driving from California with a guillotine in his truckbed

Guillotine in a Pickup Truck: Man Arrested Near Supreme Court After Cross-Country Drive

Healfromzero.com – A 35-year-old man from Julian, California, was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after Capitol Police discovered a full-sized guillotine loaded in the bed of his pickup truck parked along East Capitol Street, the narrow roadway that borders the Supreme Court and leads directly to the steps of the U.S. Capitol building. Philan-Tam-Duy Le was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, authorities confirmed in a written statement released shortly after the incident.

The arrest unfolded just past 3 p.m. Eastern Time on a day when Congress was not in session. Lawmakers were absent from the Capitol complex because both chambers are in recess, meaning no members of either house were present when officers approached the illegally parked vehicle. Still, the episode landed amid a sustained wave of anxiety over threats directed at elected officials and federal institutions.

The Arrest and Immediate Aftermath

Officers first noticed the truck because it was parked in violation of local regulations along East Capitol Street. When they approached the vehicle, they found the enormous execution device occupying the cargo bed. Photos released by the police department showed the blade mechanism and wooden frame clearly visible above the tailgate.

Authorities stated that Le had driven the entire distance from California to Washington, D.C., and that investigators were reviewing his background to determine what motivated the cross-country trip. No further charges had been announced as of the initial release.

A Trail on Social Media

Before the arrest made national headlines, Le had been documenting his preparations on what appeared to be his personal Instagram account. Early Tuesday afternoon, he posted a story showing himself seated at a table with the guillotine visible behind him.

“Outside the FBI building, just eating some cheese pizza,” the man said in the clip, which carried the captions “Guillotine adventures” and “Capital hill next.”

The account contained earlier posts with a more explicit political edge. On August 12, Le appeared in