RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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U.S. Capitol Police arrested a California man Tuesday after officers said they found a guillotine in the bed of his pickup truck parked near the Capitol complex.
Philan-Tam-Duy Le, 35, of Julian, California, was detained shortly after 3 p.m. after officers spotted the illegally parked truck east of the Capitol grounds, police said.
Authorities are investigating why Le drove across the country from the small San Diego County community and why he brought the device to Washington.
Hours before his arrest, Le apparently documented the guillotine's journey on social media.
In a video posted to Instagram Tuesday, Le appeared with the device outside FBI headquarters and said, “Outside the FBI building, just eating some cheese pizza,” according to NBC News.
The post reportedly included the phrases “Guillotine adventures” and “Capital hill next.”
Le's older brother, Kelvin, told the Los Angeles Times that he believed the guillotine was intended as a symbol of his brother's “disapproval” of the country's political climate.
Kelvin said his brother did not support either President Donald Trump or California Gov. Gavin Newsom, although he did not identify any particular policies that had angered him.
“I don’t think he’d hurt anyone,” Kelvin said, adding that he was surprised by the arrest.
He described his brother as a free spirit who worked as a cook at a Vietnamese restaurant and as a tattoo artist and had a passion for travel.
Capitol Police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding Le's trip and the presence of the guillotine near the Capitol.
The device, consisting of a heavy blade suspended in a tall frame, was historically used for executions and became closely associated with the French Revolution.
Guillotine imagery has also appeared in American political protests, including among some supporters of Trump during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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