US Capitol Police announced Tuesday that officers arrested a man who “smelled of fuel” and had a flashlight and flare gun at the U.S. Capitol.

Capitol Police said the man, whose name was not immediately released, was stopped during a security screening process at the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).

“CVC is closed to tours for the day while we investigate. We will provide more information when we can.” Capitol Police posted on X.

Fox is told the suspect also wrote a 25-page manifesto and indicated he plans to hand it over to Congress on Tuesday.

The arrest took place around 12:30 a.m. ET, congressional security sources and those familiar with the investigation told Fox News.

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Sources said the suspect’s clothes smelled of fuel and his clothes were wet. The Capitol Police immediately found this out and arrested him. Her clothes were immediately removed, the sources added.

US Capitol Police have released a photo of a firearm seized from a suspect during a security screening process at the visitor center. (USCP)

Sources confirmed that the suspect was carrying a flashlight, a flare gun and other flammable liquids.

A senior source told Fox News that investigators were not sure if the suspect intended to kill himself.

The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s who drove all night from Michigan to the Capitol, sources told Fox News.

US Capitol Police released a photo of a torch lighter and fuel bottles seized from a suspect during a security screening process at the visitor center. (USCP)

At a press conference, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said that “some” of the suspect’s clothing smelled of gasoline, “but not all of it,” so “it’s not really known at this point what his intent was.” .

“There is no indication at this point that it has anything to do with the election,” Manger said, adding that the US Capitol Police has “an enhanced posture in terms of our security” that will likely continue “through and beyond the inauguration , if it has to be.”

Sources told Fox News that the suspect appeared to be acting alone and was not on the radar of the US Capitol Police.

Manger said police also located the suspect’s vehicle a few blocks away and impounded it as part of the ongoing investigation.

A view of the US Capitol in Washington DC on November 4, 2024 ahead of the presidential election. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“He had documents with him that he said it was his intention to turn over to Congress,” Manger said when asked about the reported manifesto.

“We’re still going through all that paperwork,” he said. “It’s quite a bit and we’re trying to work out where it actually came from.”

Manger described how officers observed two bottles and “what appeared to be something shaped like a firearm” in the suspect’s backpack on the conveyor belt and recognized “a faint odor of gasoline.”

“And when they took the backpack off the conveyor belt, they noticed a much stronger odor of gasoline,” he said, later adding that the substance could have been either gasoline or “some kind of accelerant” and that “it appeared at least one of the bottles was leaking and that’s why the satchel smelled so strong.”

Manger said officers found a flare gun, a lighter and a lighter with a flashlight in the suspect’s jacket, as well as “other items in the backpack.” The chief described the suspect as “very compliant” with police. The man was said to have hesitated briefly and was urged by police to speed through security. He is now being interviewed by investigators, Manger said.

A view of the security fence near the US Capitol in Washington, DC on November 4, 2024 ahead of the presidential election. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The arrest took place on Election Day, as voters across the country head to the polls.

NEW SECURITY FENCES SEEN AROUND KEY DC SITES AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY

Monday, the Secret Service confirmed that it is erecting barriers around important sites in the nation’s capital, including the White House and the vice president’s residence at the US Naval Observatory.

Meanwhile, private companies in major cities such as New York, Portland and Washington, DC have also followed suit, raising their storefronts.

Businesses near the White House set up security measures in Washington, DC on November 4, 2024, ahead of possible violence in and after the November 5 election. (BRENDAN SMILOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Secret Service said it is “working closely” with federal, state and local partners in both the nation’s capital and Palm Beach County, Florida, to implement “heightened levels of security and security” in the future. of Tuesday’s elections. In addition to the White House and Naval Observatory, the fences will also block the Treasury Department in Washington, DC, and authorities have used bike rack barriers to fortify the Capitol, according to the data. The Washington Post.

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Meanwhile, Howard University, where Harris will be on election night, will also see increased security, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.