Man arrested with guillotine near Capitol

A giant guillotine near the Capitol has raised questions about why a California man brought it to Washington.

By

National News

August 27, 2026 - 2:35 PM

Police seized a guillotine that was spotted on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, in the bed of a pickup truck along the 100 block of East Capitol Street in Washington, D.C. Photo by United States Capitol Police/TNS

WASHINGTON — A man arrested near the Capitol with a 10-foot-tall guillotine in the bed of his truck was released Wednesday and charged with a misdemeanor.

Philan Tam Duy Le was arrested by Capitol Police on Tuesday after initially being approached for being parked illegally in a permit-only parking spot near the Library of Congress. According to an affidavit, officers spotted the guillotine and approached Le, who was sitting on the side of a platform attached to the truck.

Le then told officers that he “wasn’t there for any specific reason” and “didn’t have…

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