A participant ofassault on the Capitol in 2021 He was arrested this Thursday with weapons and explosive materials in the former president's neighborhoodBarack Obama in Washington DC, official sources confirmed.
The United States Secret Service discovered the man a few blocks from the Obama family home, according to a law enforcement official who reported the incident toAmerican media.
The man was identified by police sources asTaylor Taranto,37 years old and a native of Seattle, in the state of Washington. He tried to flee, but was captured by Secret Service agents, who chased him until they stopped him when he was heading towards the former president's house.
The incident caused no injuries or damage, but forced a large police operation to be deployed. It is unclear whether the Obamas were in the home at the time.
"The arresting officers requested the Metropolitan Police's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team to conduct a sweep of the individual's van near the location of the arrest," a Washington DC Police statement said. "There is no active threat to the community and this incident remains under investigation."
Taranto's van was parked very close to where he was arrested, and was confiscatedvarious weapons and materials to make an explosive device similar to a Molotov cocktail, but it was not elaborated.
"This man was not in Obama's neighborhood by mistake," said a US official quoted by CBS.
Police sources confirmed that Taranto, a US Navy veteran, was under surveillance after making multiple threats in recent social media broadcasts, and seemed obsessed with attacking “a public figure.”
On personal Twitter and YouTube accounts, recent images of Taranto appear in the demonstrations at the so-called Freedom Corner in the American capital.
He also had an open arrest warrant for charges related to theassault on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
He is openly declared an admirer offormer president Donald Trump.
His behavior began to be followed two months ago, according to FBI officials.
Since then Taranto remained in the area and had been seen camping in his van near the Washington, DC jail, where many of those accused of the violent actions at the Capitol are held.
Taranto was charged with being a fugitive from justice, according to the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department.
But it is also involved in acivil lawsuit filed by the family ofJeffrey Smith, a former Memphis police officer, who committed suicide days after the attack on January 6, 2021. According to the plaintiffs, Taranto's actions contributed to Smith's death.
In court documents related to the ongoing lawsuit, Taranto admitted to being inside the Capitol during the attack but denied any wrongdoing.
The lawsuit alleges that Taranto assisted in the attack on Smith during the Capitol riot by handing a baton or crowbar to another rioter, who allegedly used the weapon to attack the police officer.
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