A potential assassination attempt on Supreme Court justices was thwarted on Sunday after authorities arrested a man in possession of over 200 explosives outside the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, D.C. The incident occurred during the annual Red Mass ceremony, which is traditionally attended by Supreme Court justices to mark the start of the new term.
41-year-old Louis Geri was apprehended after he informed police he had explosives and threatened to use them. Officers located a tent filled with containers of chemicals used in explosive devices, molotov cocktails, and modified bottle rockets. A manifesto expressing hatred toward the Catholic Church, Jews, Supreme Court justices, and ICE was also found.
Court records revealed Geri carried devices in his front pocket and backpack, along with a tent near the cathedral. Authorities discovered vials of nitromethane, a compound used in explosive devices, and evidence of modified bottle rockets treated with pyrotechnic solutions. Geri claimed expertise in explosives and described plans to use the materials as grenades.
When confronted, Geri told officers, “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives,” and later threatened to detonate devices near a tree, stating, “several of your people are gonna die from one of these.” He was charged with unlawful entry, possession of explosives, threats, assault on police, and other offenses.
Geri, who had prior arrests including indecent exposure in Arizona, was held without bond. This arrest followed the sentencing of Nicholas Roske, a would-be Kavanaugh assassin, who received an eight-year sentence.
Due to security concerns, no Supreme Court justices attended this year’s Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on October 5. The annual event prays for jurists and public officials ahead of the Supreme Court’s term.