A man wanted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots was arrested with weapons and materials to make explosives after running toward the Obamas' Washington, D.C. home, police said.
A man accused in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots was arrested after running toward the Washington, D.C., home of former President Barack Obama as police found numerous weapons and materials to build explosives inside his van, authorities said.
Taylor Taranto, 37, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after he livestreamed himself driving around Obama's exclusive neighborhood and saying "I'm outside Barack Obama's house." The man, who had no address, was charged with being a fugitive from justice, said D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department in a statement.
It was not clear whether the Obamas were home at the time.
The arrest warrant had been issued by U.S. Capitol Police, but no details were released about the reason for the charges.
Capitol Police “assisted in the investigation due to a concern for public safety and the potential for violence against Members of Congress,” Jason Bell, acting assistant chief for protective and intelligence operations, said in a statement. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces said it was also aiding in the investigation of Taranto’s actions.
An explosive team called in by Metropolitan Police found numerous weapons, materials that could make explosives and several hundred rounds of ammunition, The New York Times reported.
Taranto had made recent threats against a public figure on social media livestreams, according to CBS News.
Taranto was believed to have been camping in his van in the D.C. area in recent weeks, according to media reports.
He has been sued by the widow of Metropolitan Police Jeffrey Smith, who took his own life after being beaten in the violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who falsely and repeatedly raged that the 2020 election had been "stolen" from him.
The widow's suit alleges Taranto had handed a cane or crowbar to another man, who used it to beat Officer Smith. Taranto has denied those accusations, and has said he was present during the riots, but did not participate in the violence.
“There is no active threat to the community,” the Metropolitan Police said after Taranto's arrest. Inside Edition Digital has reached out to the department for more details about his arrest.
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