US capital Washington
Suspected Capitol striker caught with guns and explosives near Obama’s home
Ex-US President Barack Obama: A man with a gun was arrested near his home
© Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images / AFP
What did the man in Barack Obama’s neighborhood want? A 37-year-old has been arrested not far from the ex-president’s home. Police found several firearms in his van.
Police in Washington arrested a man in the neighborhood of former US President Barack Obama who was in possession of numerous firearms and explosives-making materials. The 37-year-old Taylor T. previously claimed to have a detonator in a live stream on the Internet, law enforcement authorities said Broadcaster CNN. According to media reports, T. was also wanted on an arrest warrant because he is said to have participated in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Suspect fled towards Obama’s house
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting current and former US presidents, discovered T. just a few blocks from the Obamas’ house, reports the Channel CBS News citing a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. The man fled and the Secret Service followed him. T. ran in the direction of the Obamas’ house, but was arrested before he reached the building. It is not known whether the Obamas were at home at the time.
The arrested person’s car was parked nearby, it said. The officers on site had requested explosives specialists to search the transporter. They found several firearms and material for making Molotov cocktails in the vehicle. According to CBS News, T. claimed to be in possession of explosives, but in fact only the material needed to make them was discovered.
US authorities were reportedly concerned because T. had made threats against a public figure on social media in recent years. The 37-year-old, who is believed to be from Seattle but police say doesn’t currently have a permanent home, was not accidentally in Obama’s neighborhood, a US official said, according to CBS News. According to the Broadcaster NBC News the last post by T. on his Telegram channel is a link to a website that spreads conspiracy theories about the Obama house.
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According to a senior law enforcement official, T. had been in Washington for several months. He was seen camping out in his van near the jail where many of the Jan. 6 indictees are being held, CBS News writes. Some of his live streams were apparently also broadcast during his stay in Washington.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, T. was charged as a fugitive from justice. A spokeswoman for the Obamas declined to comment on CNN and NBC News.