A 70-year-old Alabama man has been federally charged with possessing eleven Molotov cocktails during Wednesday’s violence in the Capitol.
Lonnie Coffman was arrested on Friday after Capitol Police responded to a report of possible explosives close by the National Republican Club at 12:47 p.m. on Wednesday. Shortly after, they received additional reports of another possible explosive device placed at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, nearly three blocks away. The agency’s bomb squad responded to both locations to investigate. A perimeter was set up, and bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in to sweep vehicles in the area. Officers spotted the handle of a firearm inside of a parked red GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck with an Alabama license plate.
Upon further inspection of the truck, police located other guns and 11 Mason jars filled with a liquid with a golf tee in the top of each jar, cloth rags, and lighters, all of which are components of Molotov cocktails.
During questioning, Coffman confessed to investigators that the Mason jars contained melted Styrofoam and gasoline.
Coffman, an avid Donald Trump supporter according to his ex-wife, has been charged with one count of unlawful possession of a destructive device, which carries a maximum prison term of up to 10 years, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license under D.C. law, which carries a maximum prison term of up to 5 years.
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