LANSING, Mich. (WLNS/WOOD) — United States Capitol Police have identified the 28-year-old Michigan man who was arrested at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center Tuesday.
Austin M. Olson, of Westland, is facing charges for possession of a prohibited weapon, unlawful activities and disorderly conduct, according to U.S. Capitol Police.
Police say Olson drove to the Capitol, entered the Capitol Visitor Center and submitted to a routine security screening of himself, his jacket and his backpack. They say that suspicious items appeared during the security screening, and Olson smelled of gasoline.
According to U.S. Capitol Police, officers found a flare gun, a torch lighter, and two bottles which they believed contained some type of accelerant. Police also say one of the bottles was leaking and smelled of gasoline.
Olson was also carrying what appeared to be a manifesto and a letter to Congress, which discussed the war in the Middle East, officials say.
U.S. Capitol Police investigators say they tracked Olson’s prior movements and located his sedan blocks away. The car was cleared by the U.S. Capitol Police K-9 Unit and the Hazardous Incident Response Division.
Investigators ultimately learned that Olson traveled to the Washington, D.C. area from Michigan on Monday.
“If our officers did not stop this man, yesterday would have been a very different story than this one,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger in a statement. “All of our employees continue to work, together, around the clock during this heightened security environment.”