Suspect surrenders in bomb scare near Capitol

WASHINGTON－A man who claimed to have a bomb in a pickup truck near the United States Capitol surrendered to law enforcement after an hourslong standoff on Thursday that prompted a massive police response and evacuations of government buildings in the area.

Authorities are investigating what led the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry, to drive onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress and make bomb threats to officers while professing a litany of anti-government grievances as part of a bizarre episode that he livestreamed for a Facebook audience. Police later searched the vehicle and said they did not find a bomb, but did collect possible bomb-making materials.

Washington has been tense since the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol, when thousands of supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the building as Congress gathered to certify the results of the presidential election.

Thursday's standoff was resolved peacefully after roughly five hours of negotiations, which ended when the North Carolina native crawled out of the truck and was taken into police custody. But even in a city with a long history of dramatic law enforcement encounters outside federal landmarks, this episode was notable for its timing and for the way the suspect harnessed social media to draw attention to his actions in the hours before his arrest.

So far, authorities have not revealed any details about a motive.

Investigators had been speaking with members of Roseberry's family and learned that his mother had recently died, said Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. "There were other issues he was dealing with," said Manger, without providing specific details.

But social media appeared to offer some clues.

As police continued negotiations, a video surfaced of Roseberry on Facebook Live inside the truck, which was stuffed with coins and boxes. He threatened explosions, expressed hostility toward President Joe Biden, profanely warned of a "revolution" and laid bare a series of grievances related to US positions on Afghanistan, healthcare and the military.

Crystal Roseberry, former wife of the suspect, said she had seen images of the man in the standoff at the Capitol and confirmed to The Associated Press that it was her former husband. She said she had never known him to have explosives, but he was an avid collector of firearms.

Videos posted to Facebook before the page was taken down appear to show Roseberry at a Nov 14 Washington rally attended by thousands of Trump supporters to protest what they claimed was a stolen election. One video appears to be filmed by Roseberry as he marched with a crowd of hundreds of people carrying US flags and Trump flags and shouting "stop the steal".

The incident on Thursday began around 9:15 am. The standoff brought the area surrounding the Capitol to a virtual standstill as police emptied buildings and cordoned off streets as a precaution.

By evening, authorities had finished searching the vehicle and determined the area to be safe after confirming there were no explosives.

Agencies - Xinhua