A man has been taken into custody after police say he brought Molotov cocktails to the US Capitol that he intended to use on prominent members of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Ryan English approached Capitol Police on Monday around 3 p.m. in possession of multiple knives and two “Molotov Cocktails” – homemade firebombs – police said in federal court filings. The devices were constructed of 50-milliliter bottles of Absolut vodka with a grey cloth affixed on top. Officers recovered a green BIC brand lighter from the man’s pants pocket.
English reportedly told the officers: “I’d like to turn myself in.”
As officers searched the man, he told them the bottles contained vodka and the grey cloth had been soaked in hand sanitizer. He told officers he was at the Capitol to “Kill Scott Bessent” and had additional Molotov cocktails in his car.
Bessent is Trump’s newly confirmed Treasury secretary.
Officers then searched the man’s car and located a 750 milliliter bottle of Smirnoff 100 proof vodka and a grey sweatshirt with missing fabric consistent with the cloth found on the the Absolut bottles.
Authorities determined English left his home in Massachusetts on Sunday and drove to Washington D.C. with the intention of killing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. The man allegedly also had plans to burn down the Heritage Foundation two blocks from the White House.
He wanted to “depose these political offices and send a message,” federal prosecutors wrote.
While on his way to Washington D.C., English allegedly stopped at a library in Chevy Chase, Maryland and saw Reddit posts mentioning Bessent’s confirmation hearings and altered his target. He told police he purchased the alcohol bottles to create the Molotov cocktails.
He initially wanted to use small bottles of vodka to start fires, wrap them in rags soaked in alcohol, light them and throw them at Bessent’s feet. If he managed to get close enough to Bessent, he planned to stab him with the knife he brought from home.
After arriving to the Capitol and seeing how difficult it would be to get close to Trump officials, English allegedly said he accepted the possibility of suicide by cop. He turned himself in shortly after and has been charged with unlawful receipt, possession and/or transfer of a firearm and carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, explosive or incendiary device on the grounds of the Capitol.
