Staff Reports
A dangerous plot was foiled in the heart of our nation’s capital when police arrested 41-year-old Louis Geri after finding hundreds of homemade explosive devices outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral on the morning of the Red Mass, a service traditionally attended by Supreme Court justices. Authorities say the suspect had set up a tent on the cathedral steps and claimed he had explosives that could be detonated, forcing a heavy law enforcement response to secure the area and protect worshippers and judicial figures.
Investigators later discovered what federal and local officials described as roughly 200 improvised explosive devices, including modified bottle rockets, molotov cocktails, and vials containing nitromethane — the same volatile compound used in past domestic terror attacks. Officers on the scene reported the devices were operational and the discovery made clear this was not a harmless protest but a planned attempt to wreak carnage in Washington, D.C.
Court filings and notebooks seized from the suspect reportedly contained a manifesto expressing explicit hatred for the Catholic Church, members of the Jewish faith, Supreme Court justices, and immigration enforcement officials, showing clear intent and a targeted ideology behind the attack. This wasn’t random vandalism; it was a politically motivated, ideologically driven act aimed at some of our most respected institutions.
Because of the credible threat, no justices attended the Red Mass this year and the cathedral had to be cleared as bomb squads and arson investigators—joined by federal partners—swept the scene to neutralize the explosives and prevent catastrophe. The swift work of local and federal teams averted what could have been an unimaginable tragedy for worshippers, clerics, and members of the judiciary who were expected at the service.
The suspect now faces a host of local and federal charges, including possession of destructive devices and threats connected to what prosecutors describe as a hate-driven plot, and he is being held without bond pending further proceedings. Law-abiding Americans should be furious that such a person could turn political rage into a stockpile of lethal devices aimed at our institutions, and they should demand those responsible for enabling the radicalization get held to account.
This incident should be a wake-up call to every American who still believes political violence is a fringe problem. Left-wing terror is not some abstract talking point; it is real, organized, and increasingly brazen, and it must be confronted with the same seriousness we reserve for other kinds of domestic threats. Our leaders—both elected officials and the media—must stop minimizing these acts when they come from the left and start treating them with the urgency they deserve.
If we cherish free religion, an independent judiciary, and public safety, we cannot tolerate a double standard that excuses ideological violence when it comes from one side of the political spectrum. Tougher enforcement against politically motivated violence, strict penalties for those who stockpile or manufacture explosives, and a national conversation about restoring law and order are long overdue. Patriots across this country must demand protection for our churches, our courts, and our citizens from any radical who thinks terror is an acceptable tool for political change.
