Man arrested outside Washington cathedral ahead of Red Mass found to have explosives

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Court documents show that a New Jersey man arrested Oct. 5 outside of St. Matthew’s Cathedral just hours before the start of the annual Red Mass had a “fully functional” arsenal of explosives that he threatened to detonate.

According to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, after officers took Louis Geri — a 41-year-old resident of Vineland, N.J. — into custody, they discovered he had “multiple suspicious items, including vials of liquid and possible fireworks” inside a tent he erected on the steps of the cathedral.

Geri had previously been barred from the cathedral premises and was encountered when authorities were making a security sweep several hours in advance of the annual Mass to mark the start of the Supreme Court’s new term.

Published reports indicate that Geri had in his tent 200 incendiary devices including handmade grenades, bottle rockets, Molotov cocktails and vials of nitromethane, the compound used in the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Agents from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Arson Task Force, were able to take Geri into custody when he stepped away from his tent.

After his arrest, Geri was found to have a lighter and an explosive device on him. He was charged with unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person, and possession of a Molotov cocktail, according to authorities.

Court documents show that Geri had expressed hostility and disdain for the Supreme Court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Catholic Church and Jewish people.

The Red Mass is offered each year on the Sunday before the first Monday in October to mark the opening of the Supreme Court’s term and to invoke God’s blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials.

The start of the Red Mass was delayed because of the incident. In a later statement, police said the scene had been secured and there was no ongoing threat to public safety. Normally several Supreme Court justices attend the annual Red Mass, but as the security situation unfolded, none of the justices attended this year’s Mass.

Richard Szczepanowski is managing editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington. This story was originally published by the Catholic Standard and distributed through a partnership with OSV News.