Man arrested ahead of DC Red Mass found to have explosives
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Court documents show a New Jersey man arrested Oct. 5 outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral just hours before the annual Red Mass began had a “fully functional” arsenal of explosives that he threatened to detonate.
According to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, after officers arrested Louis Geri, a 41-year-old resident of Vineland, New Jersey, they discovered he had “several suspicious items, including vials of liquid and possible fireworks” inside a tent he had erected on the steps of the cathedral.
Geri had already been barred from the cathedral grounds and was caught as authorities carried out a security operation several hours before the annual mass marking the start of the Supreme Court’s new term.
200 incendiary devices
Published reports indicate that Geri had 200 incendiary devices in his tent, including homemade grenades, bottle rockets, Molotov cocktails and vials of nitromethane, the compound used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
Agents from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Arson Task Force were able to arrest Geri when he wandered away from his tent.
After his arrest, Geri had a lighter and an explosive device on him. He was charged with unlawful entry, threats of kidnapping or injury, and possession of a Molotov cocktail, according to authorities.
Court documents show that Geri had expressed hostility and contempt toward the Supreme Court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Catholic Church and the Jewish people.
Red Mass marks new judicial term
The Red Mass is celebrated every year on the Sunday preceding the first Monday of October to mark the opening of the term of the Supreme Court and to invoke the blessings of God on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.
The start of the Red Mass was delayed because of this incident. In a later statement, police said the scene had been secured and there was no ongoing threat to public safety. Normally, several Supreme Court judges attend the annual Red Mass, but due to the evolving security situation, none of them attended this year’s mass.
Richard Szczepanowski is editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.
