The United States Capitol Police (USCP) find themselves in the very awkward position of having to explain how an armed man made it through their security screening process, leaving him free to wander the Capitol with a 9mm handgun tucked into his waistband. Worse yet, this happened a mere 24 hours after Donald Trump took the oath of office in the Capitol Rotunda.

The security breach happened Tuesday afternoon, when a 27-year-old man from Massachusetts was able the clear the security screening area at the south checkpoint of the Capitol Visitors Center despite the magnetometers going off and a pat down being conducted by an officer. 

After making it through the screening area, the man, identified by USCP as James Faber, then went on a tour of the Capitol and was later apprehended outside the nearby Library of Congress.

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According to local media, the U.S. Secret Service and Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police had encountered Faber earlier Tuesday at a D.C. hotel after being informed that a suicidal man with a gun was heading to the District. A search of Faber and his hotel room failed to turn up the gun, so no action was taken.

It was later that afternoon that USCP was notified of Farber having managed to clear through the security area and enter the Capitol building, prompting a lookout bulletin to be issued. Farber was taken into custody, and noted to possibly be having mental health issues and suicidal ideations.

Fox News' Chad Pergram tweeted out the USCP's account of the arrest:

USCP arrest man who managed to get a gun into the Capitol for a tour and then was in the Library of Congress. Officers missed the gun during screening. Officer suspended

USCP: On Tuesday, January 21, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) received a lookout for a man with…

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 23, 2025

“On Tuesday, January 21, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) received a lookout for a man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area. At approximately 1:15 p.m., USCP officers spotted the man’s car on First Street, near East Capitol Street, NE. Officers conducted a canvass of the area and discovered that the man had recently entered the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) and taken a Capitol tour. At approximately 2:15 p.m., the man was found leaving the Library of Congress, after the tour, and walking towards his car. He was stopped, searched, and arrested. A small 9mm handgun was discovered, concealed in his waistband. The suspect, 27-year-old James A. Faber of Massachusetts, was arrested for Unlawful Activities, Carrying a Pistol Without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Resisting Arrest. The case is currently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. USCP security video shows the man entered through the south CVC checkpoint. After the magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a secondary hand search, and the man was let into the building. The officer is suspended while the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance of that search. At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress. Thankfully nobody was hurt. The USCP demands the highest standards when it comes to screening visitors, so a full review of this incident has already been ordered, as well as mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again.” – The United States Capitol Police

While there was no indication that Faber intended to hurt anyone, this isn't the kind of news you want to hear on the heels of Trump's inauguration, considering the assassination attempts on the president these past six months. Here's hoping the USCP use the occasion to tighten up its procedures and better train its officers.

The officer who cleared Faber after conducting the hand search has been suspended pending an investigation by the USCP.