Bomb squad investigating suspicious vehicle at US Capitol after man with machete arrested

Capitol Hill threats thwarted: Man with machete arrested

Capitol Police arrested a Virginia man who they say was attempting to set a car on fire - hours after another man was caught trying to bring in a machete and several other knives into the Capitol Visitor Center.

WASHINGTON - Road closures near the U.S. Capitol were in effect Wednesday night due to an investigation into a suspicious vehicle, just hours after United States Capitol Police officers prevented a man from bringing a machete and three knives into the Capitol Visitor Center.

USCP says the driver of a suspicious vehicle has been taken into custody and the bomb squad is investigating. The vehicle had lots of writing on it, per FOX News.

Officials believe the 35-year-old driver from Virginia had lit a bag, which was on top of his car, on fire. While officers ran over to the man, the bag extinguished on its own. He was arrested for Unlawful Activities.

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First Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Maryland Avenue SW and Third Street between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and Maryland Avenue SW were closed Wednesday as of 5:39 p.m. due to the investigation. They have since reopened.

Man with machete arrested at US Capitol

Earlier on Wednesday, a man attempting to bring a machete and three knives past a screening checkpoint in the Capitol Visitor Center was arrested.

USCP officers say they spotted the machete in a bag going through the x-ray machine around 2:00 p.m. Wednesday. Upon searching the bag, they also found three knives.

Mel J. Horne, a 44-year-old from Washington, D.C., was arrested for multiple counts of Carrying a Dangerous Weapon.

"Our officers know they cannot let their guard down for one second," said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. "It is this constant focus and attention to detail that helps keep this campus safe … Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community. This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security."

Public viewing for the lying in state was not stopped and will continue throughout the night, into Thursday morning. Officials say there is no ongoing threat.

Enhanced security for Jimmy Carter's funeral

Security in Washington, D.C. is heightened as the late President Jimmy Carter lies in state overnight Wednesday ahead of a state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral Thursday morning.

Carter's remains are in the Capital Rotunda, where he will remain until 7 a.m. Thursday. Members of the public are invited to pay their respects during public viewing hours.

Hundreds were in line outside the U.S. Capitol before it opened at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. A steady stream filed past the body of the former president’s flag-draped casket atop the Lincoln catafalque.

Thursday's funeral is designated a National Special Security Event, the second this week following Monday's congressional certification of President-elect Donald Trump's electoral win.

The special security event designation is reserved for events that draw large crowds and potential mass protests. It calls for an enhanced degree of high-level coordination among D.C. officials, the FBI, Secret Service, Capitol Police and Washington’s National Guard contingent.

"The Washington, D.C., area is well-versed in these high-profile events," said Matt McCool of the Secret Service’s Washington field office. "Still back-to-back NSSEs are a unique situation."