A man who claimed to have an explosive filled truck outside the Library of Congress has been identified as Floyd Ray Roseberry, a resident of Grover, North Carolina. Roseberry was arrested by the authorities following hours-long standoff which started on Thursday morning.
Following the 49-year-old's threat, the authorities evacuated government buildings and nearby houses as the negotiations were carried out with the suspect.
Roseberry Asked Joe Biden to Step Down
The chaos began around 9:15 a.m., when the suspect parked his mud splattered black truck, bearing no license plate outside the Library of Congress.
Roseberry, who was sitting inside the truck, claimed that he his truck was filled with explosive and he held the detonator in his hand.
In a couple of Facebook Live videos, which were deleted later, the accused, while demanding to speak with the U.S. President Joe Biden, said that he believed in the baseless election fraud stories about Biden being elected illegally.
"I'm up here in Washington, D.C., there's a Capitol or something. There's another Capitol. The police are coming. I'm trying to get Joe Biden on the phone," Roseberry said in one of the videos.
Claiming that he was "picked by the American [expletive] people to come up here and take a stand," Roseberry went on to rant against Biden. "I just got chose for the job. Unlike you," Roseberry said. "This ain't about politics. I don't care if Donald Trump ever becomes president again. I think ya'll Democrats need to step down. Ya'll need to understand people don't want you there."
Demanding that Biden steps down, the accused said, "You step down out of office, I'll step down out of this truck. You go home. I'll go to federal prison."
Roseberry had also posted a video on FB two days ago promoting the conspiracy theories regarding Trump's reinstatement and arrests of Democrats. "The revolution is on. It's here. It's today," Roseberry said in the video. "Just come out and talk to me, Joe. America's tired of it. "I'm not the one setting this bomb off, Joe. You are. You're gonna be the one setting this off -- not me."
Truck Was Filled With Bags and Tubs of Loose Change
Fox 61 reported that investigators found a propane tank and bags and tubs filled with loose change in Roseberry's truck. Even though the investigators claimed to have found no bomb in the truck, they said it had bomb making materials.
During his video, the accused had claimed about having a "toolbox full of ammonium nitrate," while urging the police to enquire from the experts "what a 7-pound beg of gunpowder would do with 2.5-lbs. of Tannerite."
"Biden, there's a change shortage for a reason. I've got it all. I got loads of it. And it don't take but a half a roll of nickel to equal a .50-caliber bullet. And I'm telling you, they come in, they start shooting this window out... this bomb's going off," he said in reference to the loose change found in his truck.
According to Forbes, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger confirmed that Roseberry surrendered without any resistance on Thursday afternoon. "We do know that Mr. Roseberry has had some losses of family. I believe his mother recently passed away. We spoke with members of his family, and there were other issues he was dealing with," Manger told reporters.