Even with leftists encouraging violence against President Donald Trump, and the increasing number of assassination attempts that have developed, this case is unique.
A man has been arrested in Washington, D.C., for driving his pickup truck there, carrying a guillotine in the back.
U.S. Capitol Police said they arrested the man, identified as Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California, on suspicion of “carrying a dangerous weapon” and being in possession of the guillotine.
In a statement, U.S. Capitol Police said officers “seized a guillotine, which was spotted in the bed of a pickup truck along the 100 block of East Capitol Street.”
Officers noticed the pickup truck was parked illegally.
The suspect drove his truck from California and police were investigating why he arrived in Washington.
According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Kelvin Le told the publication he recognized the black truck in the photographs shared by police as his brother’s vehicle.
But his motivations remained cloudy.
This afternoon our officers seized a guillotine, which they spotted in the bed of a pickup truck along the 100 block of East Capitol Street.
You can learn more about the arrest here: https://t.co/JibVXWBj8j pic.twitter.com/orxccDAyZc
— The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 25, 2026
The pick-up truck parked with an apparent guillotine in the bed has been towed away from a parking spot near the US Capitol and SCOTUS building. @CapitolPolice continue to investigate. pic.twitter.com/wL4Fi3SHPL
— The DC MD VA Live (@TheDMVLive) August 25, 2026
GUILLOTINE FOUND ON PICK-UP TRUCK PARKED OUTSIDE OF SCOTUS BUILDING: US Capitol Police are investigating after what appears to be a guillotine was found in the bed of a pick-up truck parked outside of the Supreme Court building in Washington DC 🚨
The suspicious pick-up truck… pic.twitter.com/HBYWDii1yh
— The DC MD VA Live (@TheDMVLive) August 25, 2026
“He is a resident of the small town of Julian in San Diego County, authorities said, and drove across the country from California,” the report said.
Le’s brother told the publication the guillotine probably was a “symbol of disapproval.”
“I don’t think he’d hurt anyone,” said the brother, a production planner in Vista.
His brother explained, according to the report, “Philan Tam Le has been generally unhappy with the state of politics. … He isn’t a fan of either major political party and dislikes both Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump.”
He said his brother didn’t really like to say specifically his opposition to government policies.
The truck was found not far from the Supreme Court Building, the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress.
