With the high number of threats against government officials every year reported by USCP, it’s not hard to see why a man parked near the Capitol with an execution device was found concerning. More specifically, 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le drove all the way from California to Washington, D.C. with a guillotine in his pickup truck. CNN reports that the man was arrested and charged with “carrying a dangerous weapon,” which he allegedly told police was the “real deal.”
Philan-Tam-Duy Le said he built the guillotine but wasn’t planning to use it on anyone. Though he did clearly state that the device is “strictly for self-defense purposes.” The 35-year-old is no stranger to conspiracy theories, however, claiming that “unelected officials [are] making all the decisions of this place and getting us involved in international conflicts and forever wars.”
That said, it would appear that this guillotine owner isn’t exactly completely anti-Trump either. According to his brother, the device was created to be a “symbol of disapproval.” The LA Times reports the man doesn’t like Democrats or Republicans, and harbors issues with both President Trump and his state’s governor, Gavin Newsom. Regardless of his political leaning, going about with a mechanical device solely designed for executing people made him quite the suspicious suspect.
Needless to say, prosecutors wanted Philan-Tam-Duy Le in jail, but the judge eventually released him, according to the Washington Post. He didn’t have a criminal history and was reportedly cooperative with authorities; not to mention, he didn’t actually present himself as a threat to anyone. While plenty of people are likely concerned over a man traveling 2,600 miles across the country to the Capitol with a guillotine, Online users saw this as an opportunity to express their disdain for the current administration.
Reddit Users Compare The Incident To When Gallows Were Erected Outside Capitol Back in 2021
Redditors reacting to Philan-Tam-Duy Le’s arrest in r/law believe charging him was hypocritical. “Didn’t the jan 6 people set up gallows?” questioned a commenter. Another person chimed in, pointing out how the “MAGA crowd built one in front of the Capitol and none of them got arrested for that.” A third accused the situation of being a “1st Amendment violation.”
Outrage aside or support aside, since this California traveler didn’t commit any serious crimes, there’s little the law can do against him for now. Still, crossing thousands of miles to make a statement is not something any normal person would do, with a device built to kill people, no less. It would have been objectively more bizarre if the Capitol police did nothing about someone with a guillotine parked near the Supreme Court.
