The US Capitol Police arrested a California man on Tuesday afternoon after officers spotted a wooden guillotine in the back of a pickup truck, the authorities said.

Federal agents took custody of the device, which Capitol police described as an antiquated decapitation instrument. Historically, guillotines were used for executions in France and other European countries.

In a press release, Capitol police said the truck was parked illegally next to the Supreme Court building, an area near the US Capitol and the Library of Congress. The force also published photographs showing the large wooden structure in the truck bed.

Arrest Near The Supreme Court

The suspect, Philan-Tam-Duy Le, 35, was taken into custody after officers made the observation, police said. They said the vehicle was positioned beside the Supreme Court building, within the Capitol complex.

Le travelled to Washington from California, according to the police statement. The case is being handled through the federal authorities involved in the seizure and charging process.

Charge Filed After Seizure

Le faces a charge of carrying a dangerous weapon. Capitol police said it remains unclear why he allegedly had the guillotine with him.

Police did not provide additional details about the device’s construction or how it was stored beyond noting that it was found in the truck bed when officers observed it.

An investigation is under way into Le’s background and into his reasons for driving to Washington, Capitol police said.

Family Remarks And Reported Context

After the arrest, Le’s brother, Kelvin Le, told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that he did not believe his brother intended to harm anyone.

The newspaper reported that Le had no firm partisan ties and was unhappy with the state of politics. Kelvin Le said the guillotine may have been meant as a “symbol of disapproval”.

Kelvin Le also described his brother as a “free spirit” who makes things by hand and enjoys taking road trips. He said Le had been living in Julian, a mountain town about 60 miles (97km) north east of San Diego.

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27 August 2026

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Ballroom Hater.

Bet he can't even tell Italian marble from the cheap Alabama stuff.

Go Donnie Go!

Spend Hardworking Taxpayers Money on your grand dance hall. 😃

By implication, possession of a length of rope must also be a criminal offence.

Some people just can't take a joke.

Where was Mike Pence anyway?

Where's Marie Antoinette when we need her?

45 minutes ago, gargamon said:

Where was Mike Pence anyway?

Alas, he would have made a great martyr.

When asked why he was carrying a guillotine, he said he was just taking a shortcut.

5 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

By implication, possession of a

Vehicle

Maybe he didn't pay the tariff on a French import?

A 'weapon'? Try holding up a bank or robbing someone with that?

Maybe he should have brought some watermelons and set up a food stand selling halves. I bet they'd sell like hotcakes! (tho I've never personally seen a rush on hotcakes sales)

Guilty! ... of illegal parking. any other charges will fall apart when faced with free speech challenge. Wait, What?! Having seen the ignorance, incompetence, corruption of this administration maybe ... charges of a concealed deadly weapon, wait ... maybe terroristic threatening ... maybe ...

5 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

By implication, possession of a length of rope must also be a criminal offence.

Was the decapitation device our Donnys neck size.

Guns are fine, they only kill school kids.

Guillotines on the other hand have a habit of dispatching the rich and powerful.

What, no open carry for guillotines in the US?! Come on, now! You gotta get your sh.t together ‘mercia…

2 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

What, no open carry for guillotines in the US?! Come on, now! You gotta get your sh.t together ‘mercia…

Agree......how long does it take behead someone.........subdue them, strap them up, get them into position, pull the blade up.........what a faff on compared to a 9mm Glock. where you can blow 10/15 people away in seconds........guillotines are never going to catch on

I assume he was a Democrat.

Good thing he wasn't carrying

a large wooden cross and some nails

the inherent violence of the socialists again illustrated

Who were these Texas Yellowjackets?

Like the gallows that appeared at the 6th January protests, was it actually a functional guillotine?

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/protesters-haul-a-guillotine-to-city-council-meeting-about-a-potential-ai-data-center-company-rep-cornered-by-protestors-it-no-longer-felt-safe-to-stay-developer-escorted-out-by-police

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/23/puerto-rico-protest-emergency-aid-earthquake-hurricane

https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/protesters-dye-fountain-red-capitol-and-chant-we-got-guillotine-outside-governors-office

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/trump-rioters-wanted-more-violence-worse/617614/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-61309804

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8832314/Yemen-anti-government-protesters-come-under-fire-from-President-Salehs-supporters.html

Nooses, gallows, guillotines are highly symbolic, and historically, have been at many a protest. Are you saying the numbskulls who decorated Bubba Wallace's pit garage with a noose were "socialists" (irrespective of the piss poor FBI investigation).

Still the suspect has been released. Evidently, not really a threat to anyone.

On 8/27/2026 at 8:06 AM, MIke B Bad said:

Agree......how long does it take behead someone.........subdue them, strap them up, get them into position, pull the blade up.........what a faff on compared to a 9mm Glock. where you can blow 10/15 people away in seconds........guillotines are never going to catch on

Give them a fair chance! They’re so much more exciting than handguns. Everyone and their cat has a handgun in the US. You gotta bring back some of that old school medieval spectacle. The whole buildup is so much better than the blow-your-load in 2 seconds thing they’re so used to….

On 8/27/2026 at 5:28 AM, Gsxrnz said:

By implication, possession of a length of rope must also be a criminal offence.

Or someone yelling 'Get a rope!'

2 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Give them a fair chance! They’re so much more exciting than handguns. Everyone and their cat has a handgun in the US. You gotta bring back some of that old school medieval spectacle. The whole buildup is so much better than the blow-your-load in 2 seconds thing they’re so used to….

Personally, I'm all for them......what a spectacle......555