Police in Washington, D.C. arrested a man on Sunday outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle after discovering more than 200 explosive devices in his possession. The arrest occurred as the church hosted its annual “Red Mass,” a service dedicated to praying for the Supreme Court as it begins its new term.
The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Louis Geri of Arizona and New Jersey, was found in a green tent on the cathedral’s steps. According to court documents, Geri told officers, “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives.” He then threatened to throw a bomb into the street, adding, “I have a hundred plus of them.”
Police evacuated the area as bomb technicians arrived. Geri reportedly handed officers a manifesto titled “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives,” which detailed his hostility toward the Catholic Church, Jewish people, members of the Supreme Court, and ICE. Officers subdued him after he momentarily left his tent, discovering a vial of yellow liquid attached to an explosive device in his pocket.
The bomb squad later recovered a large cache of homemade weapons from the tent. An affidavit from a bomb technician stated that the 200 devices “appeared to be fully functional,” containing nitromethane and other volatile chemicals. Geri allegedly told investigators he had modified bottle rockets and grenades, coated with thermite, to detonate from a distance.
He faces multiple charges, including manufacturing and possessing weapons of mass destruction, making threats, assaulting police officers, and resisting arrest. He is being held without bond.
The incident took place two days after a Biden-appointed judge gave a lenient sentence to a man convicted of attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022, renewing debate over political violence targeting the Supreme Court.
