California driver detained after guillotine discovered near Capitol grounds
Capitol Police arrested 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California, after finding a guillotine in the bed of his pickup truck parked east of the U.S. Capitol.
On Tuesday afternoon, United States Capitol Police stopped a pickup truck illegally parked near the Capitol complex and detained its driver, Philan-Tam-Duy Le, who is 35 and lives in Julian, California. Officers reported that the vehicle contained a guillotine, the historic beheading device invented in late-18th-century France. Investigators are still trying to determine why Le traveled from California and what he intended to do with the apparatus. The arrest follows standard security protocols for suspicious items near federal buildings.
Why it matters
The seizure highlights security concerns and law-enforcement vigilance around the Capitol.
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