Man gives up after threatening to set off multiple bombs on Capitol Hill
A disturbed man parked what he claimed was a truck bomb on Capitol Hill and made livestreamed threats to President Biden — ranting that “the South’s coming” and that the deaths of Afghan people “are on your hands” — before surrendering after a five-hour standoff Thursday.
Floyd Ray Roseberry of Grover, NC, got out of his pickup truck and gave himself up shortly after cops used a robot to deliver a telephone that he refused to pick up, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said during a brief news conference around 2:30 p.m.
In one livestreamed video made from inside his pick-up truck — which was parked on the sidewalk near the Library of Congress across from the US Capitol — Roseberry warned Biden: “You shoot me and two and a half blocks going with me.”
The man said, “Don’t do it, Biden, don’t pull that trigger — ’cause if you do there’s four more going off. And I ain’t got my hands on any of them.”
“They’re sitting in cars all over this f–king place around here because you thought the South wasn’t coming,” he said.
“Well, Joe Biden, the South’s coming…I’m waiting on your phone call.”
The vehicle has since been removed from the scene and the Capitol Police confirmed that no explosives were found, but “possible bomb making materials were collected from the truck,” but an investigation revealed that Roseberry “has had some losses of family.”
“I believe his mother recently passed away,” Manger said.
“We spoke with members of his family and there were other issues that he was dealing with.”
Earlier, Roseberry posted a series of videos on Facebook in which he claimed to have built a bomb with Tannertie, a two-part explosive powder that’s sold over the counter in many states for making targets that blow up when shot with a high-powered firearm.
“I know you’re watching me. These wires on the side out this side right here, these run down to these wires. This is Tannerite. I’m sure they know what it is,” he said.
Roseberry also claimed that if sharpshooters opened fire, his vehicle and four others nearby would blow up.
“We’ve got a few options here, Joe,” he said in the video, one of eight that he posted before Facebook took down his account.
Congressional offices and the Republican National Committee headquarters were among the buildings evacuated after quickly evacuated Roseberry parked his black pickup on the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress, which sits between the US Capitol and the Supreme Court.
“The driver of the truck told the responding officer on the scene that he had a bomb, and what appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand,” Manger said during an earlier news conference.
At the time, Manger said Roseberry’s motives were unknown and he didn’t elaborate following the suspect’s arrest.
In one of the online videos, Roseberry said, “I don’t wanna die, Joe.”
“I wanna go home. Just like the people in Afghanistan wanna go home,” he said.
“Them people’s lives are on your hands — all of them dead people are on your hands.”
Staring straight into the camera, he said, “Afghanistan, I’m standing for you strong, too.”
“The motherf—ers should have bombed our asses and made sure you was all right before you left — before we left,” he said.
“I’m a patriot. I love this land, and I’ll die for this land. Because my grandbabies are gonna have the rights I had.”
He also offered to surrender, telling Biden, “You step down out of office, I’ll step down outta this truck. You go home, I’ll go to federal prison.”
Manger confirmed that the threats appeared to have been made on a livestream. Asked about rumors that the suspect was a veteran of the Afghan war, the officer said they “don’t know a whole lot” about him.
The man used a dry-erase board to communicate with police before his surrender, claiming to have a detonator set to blow up his truck, sources told The Post.
Snipers were also sent in as officers tried to work out whether the threat was real, sources told the Associated Press.
Images during the standoff showed a huge police response, with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responding.
Dozens of dump trucks were also sent in to surround the truck, which did not have license plates, according to CNN.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives are in recess, but staffers are working in the Capitol complex.
Police evacuated congressional staff offices nearby, encouraging people to remain calm and use the underground tunnels if necessary to evacuate the area.
The White House said it was monitoring the situation and being briefed by law enforcement.
The incident comes months after pipe bombs were left at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee in Washington a day before thousands of pro-President Donald Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6.
In April, a man rammed a car into barriers at the Capitol, killing an officer before the attacker was shot and killed.
With Post wires
