Man arrested near US Capitol after driving from California with a guillotine in his truckbed | CNN Politics

A man arrested with a guillotine in the bed of his pickup truck near the US Capitol told officers it was “the real deal,” according to an affidavit. Philan-Tam-Duy Le, 35, of Julian, California, was arrested Tuesday and charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, US Capitol Police said in a news release. Le appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty, according to online court records. Police said officers spotted the pickup truck shortly after 3 p.m., parked illegally along the East Capitol Street, a small street that runs next to the Supreme Court and steps from the US Capitol building. USCP shared photos showing the massive guillotine. According to court documents, Le said the 10-foot-tall wooden guillotine with a metal blade was the “the real deal” when asked by an officer if the weapon was fully functioning. Le stated he “wasn’t there for any specific reason” and “didn’t have issues with specific members of Congress,” the affidavit said. Lawmakers were not at the Capitol when Le was arrested as Congress is in recess. But the arrest comes amid concerns around the rising threats of violence to members of Congress and the US government. In 2025, Capitol P