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A Westland man was arrested after police say he brought guns to the Capitol

Online Niel November 7, 2024

A Westland man was arrested after authorities say he tried to enter the U.S. Capitol on Election Day while carrying a flare gun, lighter, fuel bottles and what appears to be a manifesto.

US Capitol Police said they also found a letter to Congress when they searched Austin M. Olson, 27, on Tuesday. The letter focused on his opinion about the war in the Middle East, Capitol Police said in a news release Wednesday.

Authorities said that just before 12:30 p.m., a man later identified as Olson walked into the Capitol Visitor Center and into a line for the police screening process. Officers ordered her to put her jacket and bag through the X-ray machine and then noticed items that looked suspicious on the X-ray.

The man was hand searched and officers found a flare gun, lighter and fuel. Olson smelled as if some of his clothing had been doused in fuel, the release said. Another search turned up the apparent manifesto and letter to Congress.

Olson was handcuffed, moved outside to be interviewed and arrested.

“Had our officers not stopped this man, yesterday would have been a very different story,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. “All of our employees continue to work together around the clock in this heightened security environment.”

The visitor center was closed during the investigation and public tours were halted for the rest of the day, authorities said.

Investigators tracked Olson’s movements before he entered the Capitol and located his sedan, parked at 9th Street and Maryland Avenue NE. The car was released by the Capitol Police K-9 Unit and the Hazardous Incident Response Division.

Authorities determined Olson traveled to Washington from Michigan on Monday.

Capitol Police investigators are working to determine why he came to the Capitol with the items. He faces charges of possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful activity and disorderly conduct, authorities said.

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