WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A man who allegedly planned to kill US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been arrested after turning himself in to police at the US Capitol, according to a court filing on Tuesday.
Ryan English, from Massachusetts, was armed with a folding knife and two Molotov cocktails when he approached a Capitol police officer on Monday and surrendered, the criminal complaint said.
English allegedly told the officer that he was there to “kill Scott Bessent,” who was confirmed by the Senate as President Donald Trump’s treasury secretary on Monday.
English initially planned to assassinate Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, or the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, the complaint said.
He switched his target to Bessent after learning his confirmation hearing was taking place on Monday, it said.
The Molotov cocktails in English’s possession were filled with vodka and a gray cloth soaked in hand sanitizer was stuck in the top of the bottles.