FILE PHOTO: The headquarters for the Democratic National Committee is seen in Washington, U.S., August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
By Jan Wolfe
(Reuters) – The U.S. Capitol Police arrested a California man with multiple knives in his truck marked with white supremacist symbols near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, police said on Monday.
Around midnight, a Capitol Police officer was on patrol when he noticed a pickup truck with a bayonet and a machete inside of it, and a swastika and other white supremacist symbols painted on it, the police department said in a news release.
The truck was parked near the DNC headquarters, which borders the U.S. Capitol complex, the statement said.
Police identified the driver as Donald Craighead, 44, of Oceanside, California. Craighead was arrested for possession of prohibited weapons.
Craighead said he was “on patrol” and began talking about white supremacist ideology, the Capitol Police statement said.
A Saturday rally is planned by supporters of the roughly 600 people charged with taking part in the deadly Jan. 6 riot involving backers of then-President Donald Trump.
Police will reinstall a tall fence around the U.S. Capitol ahead of the rally, two sources familiar with the security planning told Reuters.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe, additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller)
