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A 41-year-old New Jersey man was arrested outside Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Sunday for allegedly possessing a Molotov cocktail, authorities said.
Louis Geri, of Vineland, had set up a tent on the steps of the Cathedral, which was due to hold its annual Red Mass, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said in a news release.
Red Mass is a Catholic Mass that celebrates the start of the judicial year and offers prayers for wisdom, counsel, and fortitude for judges, lawyers and public officials.
Officers assigned to a detail for the Red Mass spotted Geri and his tent shortly before 6 a.m. and determined he had been previously barred from the Cathedral premises, police said. Geri refused to leave the premises, according to authorities, and was arrested without incident.
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Officers spotted multiple suspicious items during the arrest, including vials of liquid and possible fireworks inside the suspect’s tent, MPD said.
Members of MPD’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and the Arson Task Force also arrived to examine the suspect’s belongings that he left behind on the Cathedral steps.
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Police said the scene was secured and there was no threat to the public.
Geri faces charges of unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person and possession of a Molotov cocktail.
