Washington, DC - A man was arrested by Capitol Police on Wednesday after attempting to set his car on fire outside the Capitol Building, just as president-elect Donald Trump arrived to pay his respects to Jimmy Carter.

Police officers attended to a vehicle that had been parked in front of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial at 5:30 PM on Wednesday.

The driver had reportedly filled his vehicle with accelerants and spray-painted it before he set a paper bag ablaze on its roof.

The bag had extinguished itself by the time law enforcement arrived, and no one was hurt in the incident.

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A 35-year-old Virginia man was arrested for unlawful activities, US Capitol Police revealed in a press release. He has since been interviewed by investigators, but his name and identity is yet to be released.

"Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community," US Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said in the press release. "This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security."

The incident took place as Trump arrived at the Capitol Building to pay his respects to the late President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at age 100 on December 29, 2024.

According to Ryan Saavedra of The Daily Wire, Capitol Police were alerted to the incident when a nearby worker saw the suspect trying to light something on fire.

"A grounds crew worker saw him trying to light something on fire in his car and when asked what he was doing he allegedly said: 'I have napalm, and I'm trying to light it on fire,'" Saavedra said in a post on X.