Bomb suspect arrested at US Capitol following police negotiations

19 August 2021, 15:24 | Updated: 19 August 2021, 20:15

Police at the scene of the active bomb scare at the US Capitol, near the Library of Congress.
Police at the scene of the active bomb scare at the US Capitol, near the Library of Congress. Picture: Derek Myers

By Sophie Barnett

Police in Washington have arrested a man who said he had a bomb in a pickup truck near the US Capitol building.

US Capitol Police responded to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress on Thursday and urged people to stay away from the area.

They described it as an "active bomb threat" and said investigators worked to determine whether it was a real explosive device.

Following negotiations the suspect, 49-year-old Floyd Ray Roseberry, was safely taken into custody after live-streaming the incident.

LBC Correspondent Derek Myers, who was at the scene of the incident, said the suspect had thrown dollar bills out of his window.

He said the suspect called for "fellow patriots" to join him.

The suspect is believed to have had a rustic cylinder on his lap. He said if police shoot his truck window, a microphone on the explosive will detect the shatter end explode “two and a half blocks".

The building is near the Capitol and the Supreme Court.

According to reports congressional staffers were alerted to shelter in their offices.

The Library of Congress, on Capitol Hill, is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is found in Washington, DC.