An officer was suspended by the U.S. Capitol Police on Thursday for allowing an armed man to enter the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday.
The individual, who was taken into custody on Tuesday, managed to bring a gun into the Library of Congress.
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A lookout for a man “with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area” was sent out on Tuesday, according to a statement from USCP.
“The individual was discovered heading towards his automobile at around 2:15 p.m., following the tour of the Library of Congress. He was halted, searched, and taken into custody. According to the statement, a tiny 9mm handgun was found hidden in his waistband.
The individual was seen visiting the Capitol Visitor Center earlier in the day, according to CCTV footage, USCP stated.
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“An officer conducted a secondary hand search after the magnetometers sounded, and the man was allowed entry into the building. While the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducts an administrative review into the officer’s conduct of that search, the officer is suspended,” the statement read.
No one was hurt in the incident, and Capitol Police made it clear that there “is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress.”
The suspect was identified by authorities as Massachusetts resident James Faber, 27. The U.S. attorney’s office is handling his case.
Officers “responded to a call for a wellbeing check” for Faber on Monday, according to a statement released by the Carlisle, Massachusetts, Police Department on Thursday. Following “newly discovered concerns” and officers’ conclusion that the individual had departed the state, the department sent out a notice requesting several states to keep an eye out for him.
According to the department, police officers “seized his firearms from his residence to ensure the safety of the individual and the community” and suspended Faber’s state carry license.
It was not immediately clear who Faber’s attorney was.
This month, there have been two high-profile instances of someone attempting to enter the Capitol with firearms.
A man carrying three knives and a machete was apprehended in early January as he attempted to enter the Capitol to see former President Jimmy Carter lying in state.
As part of its “full review” of the incident, USCP stated that it will mandate “mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again.”