Capitol Police arrested a man Tuesday afternoon who was detained during a screening at the Capitol Visitor Center because he smelled like gasoline and had a lighter and a flare gun, the department announced.

A 28-year-old Michigan man, whose name has not been identified by police, approached a screening area and placed a backpack and coat on the conveyor belt around 12:20 p.m., the police chief said. Capitol Hill, J. Thomas Manger, to reporters at a briefing outside the Capitol Tuesday afternoon.

“As soon as his backpack and jacket entered the screening area, US Capitol Police officers manning that screening area saw what appeared to be something in the shape of a firearm,” Manger said.

“They also saw two bottles in the backpack,” Manger said. “While the man was standing there… one of the officers noticed a faint odor of gasoline, and when they removed the backpack from the conveyor belt, they noticed a much stronger odor of gasoline.”

Officers found a flare gun and a lighter, what appeared to be accelerants in the bottles, as well as documents the suspect apparently intended to deliver to Congress, Manger said.

The man is in custody and is being questioned by officers, and the department is still determining his intent, the police chief said. Manger said the man’s car was located several blocks from the Capitol.

“He had some items in his backpack that he maybe wanted to set on fire,” Manger said. “It didn’t look like he soaked all his clothes. There were some of his clothes that smelled like gasoline, but not all of them. So at this point it is unknown what his intention was.”

The visitor center was closed for the rest of the day as Capitol Police investigated.

The Capitol Visitor Center, Library of Congress and Botanical Garden were open Tuesday despite heightened security across the city. The Library of Congress and the Botanical Garden will remain open to visitors.

Capitol Police set up barricades with bike racks ahead of Election Day, as well as fencing on the west side of campus around the area where the Inauguration Day stage will be located. Some businesses in the city have boarded up their windows, and federal and local officials in the District of Columbia are preparing for possible unrest in the days and weeks to come.

“Starting with early voting last week and continuing through Election Day tomorrow and through the inauguration, our team has one focus, and that is how to keep Washington, DC safe for residents and visitors during election week and beyond.” there,” said the mayor of DC. Muriel Bowser said at a security press conference from Metropolitan Police headquarters on Monday afternoon.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said the department would work with Capitol Police and other law enforcement to ensure a safe post-election period.

“We are in close contact with the United States Capitol Police, as well as our other federal partners, on a regular, daily basis,” Smith said.