Police investigate why suspect drove from California with device
U.S. Capitol Police on Tuesday arrested a 35-year-old Julian, California man after officers found what they described as a guillotine in the bed of his pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol complex. Police identified the man as Philan-Tam-Duy Le.
The arrest occurred shortly after 3 p.m., when officers found the truck containing the device illegally parked east of the Capitol grounds, according to the department. Le was detained at the scene.
Capitol Police said investigators were working to establish two things: why Le had driven from California and what he intended to do with the device.
A guillotine is an instrument for administering capital punishment by beheading, consisting of a heavy blade mounted on a tall wooden frame. The device was invented in late-18th century France.
It became a symbol of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.