Summary

Ryan Michael “Reily” English was arrested at the U.S. Capitol with Molotov cocktails and a knife, allegedly planning to kill newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Initially targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or House Speaker Mike Johnson, English changed plans after learning about Bessent’s Senate vote.

He told police he was prepared to kill officers to reach his target and contemplated suicide by cop.

English also considered attacking the Heritage Foundation.

He faces multiple federal charges, including possession of explosives on Capitol grounds.

  • teft@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    He was prepared to kill officers yet turned himself in to the first officer he came across?

  • NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Multiple of these stories within a few days and they turn themselves in before even trying anything. Something doesn’t add up about these stories.

    Edit: it honestly feels like they are laying the groundwork to suspend/call martial law, or do something else extreme to remove barriers to doing stuff.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      While they don’t say, this one seems to be liberal (from MA, some twisted concern for women’s rights). It may also be to turn the idea that it’s right wing extremists who are usually the terrorists

    • Optional@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Agreed, however, the trump admin will do what they want anyway and nobody will stop them.

      Anyway, can you believe the Democrats and their genocideds?

    • Nougat@fedia.io
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      2 days ago

      There were two of them, in airplane bottles. This was not a credible threat.

      • phughes@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        He also had a “750-milliliter bottle of 100-proof vodka and a gray sweatshirt with cloth cut off the sleeves” in his car.

        Fucking pathetic “arsenal” if you’re going to firebomb anything, really.

    • DrFistington@lemmy.world
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      I was going to say, he picked one of the clumsiest and most awkward weapons he could have chosen for the task at hand, as well as a weapon that would be most likely also injure him, and not actually kill the target. Like seriously that was the best you can do? Get creative you pussy. Or not, I mean shit, a chunk of sodium, some water, and a large and small glass bottle and some nails.

  • numlok@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    …finding two devices constructed of 50-milliliter vodka bottles with gray cloth affixed

    • zib@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      He could have just as easily not done anything and gone home. None of what he did makes any sense.

    • Capt. Wolf@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      That’s assuming any of it even actually happened and this isn’t some sort of attempt to bolster sympathy support…

      • hydroptic@sopuli.xyz
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        1 day ago

        You said it, not me. Really wouldn’t put that past reich-wingers, although I do think it’s more likely that the dude was just some random person who’s really fucking fed up with, well… *gestures around broadly*

        • earphone843@sh.itjust.works
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          1 day ago

          I mean, Trump faked an assassination attempt, so it isn’t a stretch to think he’d do this to build the narrative to impose martial law.

          It’s right out of Hitler’s playbook.

              • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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                7 hours ago

                You mean the one where two people died? Just because it may not have actually hit his ear does not mean the shooter did not intend to hit him. That is an assassination attempt.

          • hydroptic@sopuli.xyz
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            1 day ago

            Oh I don’t disagree with you at all, I just think that in this case it’s more likely reich-wingers aren’t behind this – mainly because he didn’t kill anybody. If it was a conservative false flag I’m, let’s say 75% confident there’d be bloodshed to make it a better show for the narrative

  • jimjam5@lemmy.world
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    Sure he said he was going to do those things and had weapons, but for all we know, he could be a “fine person, a great man” there to “peacefully protest” like those that got pardoned for Jan 6th. 😒