Washington, D.C. — U.S. Capitol Police arrested a California man Tuesday after officers spotted a guillotine in the bed of his pickup truck near the Capitol and Supreme Court.
Police identified the driver as 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California. Officers noticed his illegally parked truck shortly after 3 p.m. along the 100 block of East Capitol Street and discovered the large wooden execution device in the truck bed.
Le was arrested on a charge of carrying a dangerous weapon. Capitol Police said he had driven across the country from California, but investigators have not determined why he traveled to Washington or what he intended to do with the guillotine.
Photos released by police show a tall wooden frame resembling the execution devices historically associated with the French Revolution. Authorities did not report finding any other weapons or identify a specific threat against Congress, the Supreme Court or an elected official.
The unusual arrest comes amid heightened concern about threats around the Capitol complex. Capitol Police reported nearly 15,000 threat-assessment cases involving members of Congress, their families, staff or the Capitol in 2025. Last month, officers also arrested a Mississippi man who arrived at a Capitol barricade with a handgun.
Capitol Police said investigators are continuing to review Le’s background and determine why he came to Washington.
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