A 35-year-old California man was arrested Tuesday on charges of possessing an assembled guillotine, which U.S. Capitol Police spotted in the bed of his pickup truck near the U.S. Supreme Court.
Philan-Tam-Duy Le of Julian, California, was arrested for carrying a dangerous weapon.
Capitol Police seized the guillotine and are investigating why the suspect, who drove from California to the District, had the device. They said investigators are working to go through the driver’s background, according to a USCP statement.
Pictures released by Capitol Police show the guillotine was fully assembled and standing in an upright position in the bed of the pickup truck.
The iconic beheading machine, featuring an angled blade, was developed during the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century and was used to execute condemned individuals across many social classes, including during the Reign of Terror. They have since become symbols of political violence and revolutionary terror.
The vehicle was illegally parked along the 100 block of East Capitol Street, adjacent to the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court, authorities said.
