Capitol bomb threat: Suspect in police custody after hours-long standoff and demand to speak with Biden
US Capitol Police arrest Floyd Ray Roseberry following five-hour standoff
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A man suspected of initiating a bomb threat in Washington DC has surrendered to law enforcement following a nearly five-hour standoff.
Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, from Grover in southern North Carolina, brought the nation’s capital to a standstill after streaming his rambling threats to Facebook while parked on the pavement outside the Library of Congress.
US Capitol Police reported that a bomb was not recovered from the truck but “but possible bomb making materials were collected” after Mr Roseberry’s arrest.
He reportedly told a Capitol Police officer at the scene that he had a bomb, and “the officer noticed what appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand,” according to Capitol Police.
Roseberry “was communicating by holding up hand-written signs through the front, driver-side window,” police said.
Officers then gave him a phone “in hopes of trying to continue the dialogue.”
Following an hours-long standoff, he followed officers’ instructions and crawled away from the truck.
Nearby Capitol office buildings were evacuated. Both the House and the Senate are on recess, meaning most lawmakers are in their home states, but staffers and Library of Congress employees were working near the scene, prompting the evacuations. Police also went door to door to alert residents in the area.
An eyewitness says she saw a man in a black pickup truck in front of the Library of Congress shouting that he had “a bomb” while tossing dollar bills out of the window.
Sydney Bobb, 22, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said she was on her way to a race in politics class near the Library of Congress at about 9.25am when she noticed the man in the vehicle.
“I was walking on that block because that’s where I go to class. He was shouting that he had a bomb. And then he threw money out the side of the truck,” Ms Bobb told The Independent by phone as she was being evacuated from her class.
The FBI and Department of Justice are assisting with the case.
Capitol police say they are ‘still working’ on investigation
Capitol police provided a brief update, noting only that they are still working on the investigation and will share more information when possible.
Facebook ‘continuing to investigate’ account of alleged suspect
Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Facebook, said the social media company had removed the account of the alleged Capitol bomb threat suspect, who was allowed to livestream his anti-government and pro-Trump message on the platform for hours.
Bomb threat suspect named as 49-year-old North Carolina man who first voted in 2016
Several law enforcement officials have said that the suspect in the ongoing bomb threat investigation outside the Library of Congress is 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry from Grover in southern North Carolina, multiple outlets have reported.
In a Facebook livestream that was later removed from the site, Roseberry said that “the revolution is on” and that he wanted President Joe Biden to resign.
Records show that he first voted in 2016.
Suspect surrenders to law enforcement peacefully
The DC bomb threat suspect has surrendered to law enforcement officials peacefully.
Floyd Ray Roseberry, 49, from Grover in southern North Carolina, followed officers’ instructions, crawling away from the truck parked on the pavement outside the Library of Congress, ending the five-hour standoff.
His home in North Carolina is being searched by law enforcement, MSNBC reported. Roseberry appeared to have been acting alone.
Video shows suspect surrender and crawl away from pickup truck
Capitol Police hold press briefing after surrender of bomb threat suspect
The chief of the Capitol Police said they still don’t know if there are any explosives in the vehicle and that the suspect, 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry, had recently lost his mother.
Capitol Police says suspect has ‘been moved away from the scene'
Capitol Police has said that the bomb threat suspect, 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry, has “been moved away from the scene,” adding that “there were things that we saw in the truck ... for instance a propane ... gas container”.
“Ultimately we were able to get him into custody without incident,” police said.
Suspect was upset about result of presidential election, wife says
The bomb threat suspect at the Library of Congress, who surrendered moments ago, was upset at the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to his wife.
MSNBC reported that he had struggled to find healthcare for both of them and that he had recently lost his mother.
Voting records showed that he voted for the first time in 2016.
Capitol bomb threat suspect identified, told his wife he was going fishing
Floyd Ray Roseberry: Capitol bomb threat suspect identified, told his wife he was going fishing
Police have identified the man accused of making a bomb threat from his pickup truck on Capitol Hill as Floyd Ray Roseberry, according to multiple reports.
Mr Roseberry is a 49-year-old man from Grover, North Carolina, according to authorities.
On a video live-streamed to Facebook which has since been taken down, Mr Roseberry made a long, rambling speech, in which he said he was looking to start a revolution against Joe Biden and the Democrats.
He spoke of his family back in North Carolina, his hatred for President Biden, who he called out by name dozens of times, and claimed to be upset at the decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan.
“The first thing I want is airstrikes in Afghanistan. Kick that Taliban’s ass and keep them from killing people,” he said.
His wife told NBC News that her husband had left North Carolina on Wednesday night and told her he was going on a fishing trip.
“She says her husband has been upset of the result of the Presidential election and voted for the first time in his life for President Trump,” NBC News reported.
On the Facebook livestream, Mr Roseberry indicated he had been deprived of access to medication.
“They cut off my healthcare, I can’t even get shots anymore.”
Read more:
Capitol bomb threat suspect Floyd Ray Roseberry told his wife he was going fishing
Floyd Ray Roseberry is a 49-year-old man from Grover, North Carolina
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