A 44-year-old man was arrested by the US Capitol police for bringing a machete and a bayonet in a truck that was marked with white supremacist symbols.
Donald Craighead was arrested near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington on Monday. Both weapons were illegal in the state.
As recently as three weeks ago, Craighead’s father said Donald was jailed in southwest Virginia for driving a truck with stolen license plates. He said his son told him that he purchased the truck unaware that the plates were stolen.
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The Capitol Police said this in a press release:
“Around midnight, a Special Operation Division Officer was on patrol when he noticed a Dodge Dakota pickup truck, with a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it, outside of the DNC headquarters. The truck did not have a license plate. Instead, a picture of an American flag was placed where the license plate should have been. The Capitol Police officer pulled over the truck along the 500 block of South Capitol Street, SW.
The officers noticed a bayonet and machete, which are illegal in Washington, D.C., inside the truck. The driver, 44-year-old Donald Craighead of Oceanside, California was arrested for Possession of Prohibited Weapons.
Craighead said he was “on patrol” and began talking about white supremacist ideology and other rhetoric pertaining to white supremacy.
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“This is an excellent example of the work our officers do every day,” said Operational Services Bureau Deputy Chief Jason Bell. “We are so proud of these officers for their vigilance.”
The USCP Investigations Division is continuing our investigation on the suspect.”
Craighead’s arrest came less than one month after police detained a man in a truck parked near the Capitol who threatened to blow up two blocks with an explosive device if he didn’t get to speak with President Biden about several grievances.
No bomb was found in Craighead’s car, although officials said they did discover materials that could be used to make explosives. Officials later said the man had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
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The police are also still trying to find the person believed to have placed pipe bombs near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in D.C. the night before the Jan. 6 insurrection.
There is no immediate evidence that the suspect was going to attend “upcoming demonstrations,” such as one planned for Saturday to support people arrested in the Jan. 6 riot, which is prompting police to ramp up security and put up a security fence around the Capitol.
Executive director of the Democratic National Committee Sam Cornell said in a statement that employees “are thankful for Capitol police containing this threat.”