The individual arrested for a bomb threat at a Washington, DC, church was carrying an arsenal of explosive devices on his person, according to police.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Louis Geri, who was apprehended outside of St. Matthew’s Cathedral before an event, had over 200 handmade bombs in his home, including bottle rockets and Molotov cocktails.
When he was arrested, police found a Molotov cocktail in his possession.
A man had more than 200 handmade destructive devices — including bottle rockets and molotov cocktails — in a tent on the steps of a D.C. cathedral where Supreme Court justices were expected to attend Mass on Sunday, court records show. During his arrest, Louis Geri threatened to ignite explosives and handed authorities pages of his notebook that, according to court records, expressed animosity toward the Catholic Church, Supreme Court justices, members of the Jewish faith and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
D.C. police first approached Geri inside a green tent posted on the top of the stairs leading to St. Matthew’s Cathedral as they cleared the block for Red Mass — an annual religious service marking the start of a new Supreme Court term and honoring the judiciary.
But records filed in D.C. Superior Court on Monday show that when officers asked Geri to leave, he told them, “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives.” An attorney for Geri did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Geri gave "authorities pages of his notebook that, according to court records, expressed animosity toward the Catholic Church, Supreme Court justices, members of the Jewish faith and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," The Post reported.
The cathedral was set to host the annual “Red Mass,” an event celebrating the beginning of the Supreme Court’s term. The justices, along with many government officials, typically attend the proceedings.
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Why would Louis Geri leave his home in Arizona to go to DC and sit in a tent in front of a cathedral, with a Molotov cocktail and several other suspicious items? pic.twitter.com/UL2qWm6jPF
— 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑖𝑠 (@chiIIum) October 5, 2025
During the arrest, Louis allegedly made more threats. He threatened to throw one of the explosive devices and “test one out on the streets.”
“If you just step back, I’ll take out that tree. No one will get hurt, there will just be a hole where that tree used to be,” he said.
He also told officers, “Several of your people are gonna die from one of these.”
The suspect insisted that the officers read a document he had written, The Post reported.
In an attempt to de-escalate, the sergeant agreed to read what Geri had written down. Geri unzipped the flap of the tent and handed over nine pages torn out from his notebook titled “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives.” As he passed her the paperwork, court records show, the sergeant noticed that Geri had a butane lighter and an unknown white cap-shaped object clinched in his hand. She unzipped the rest of the flap, court records show, which angered Geri. He began reaching into a dark bag, according to court documents, and told her “Alright, if you want to do it, we’ll do it now.” The sergeant continued to ask him questions and he continued to answer, telling her he was the only one who wrote the “negotiations” he handed her and that he had a background in explosives.
But as he spoke, court records show, he began pulling out multiple capped vials containing yellow liquid with illegal explosive devices taped to them. He hovered his right thumb over the top of the butane lighter, posed to ignite it, and said “you better have these people step away or there’s going to be deaths, I’m telling you now.”
The officers surrounded the suspect, who went to nearby trees to relieve himself. At this point, the officers apprehended him, placing him in handcuffs. Police say the devices appeared to be “fully functional.”
Geri was charged with Unlawful Entry, Threats to Kidnap or Injure a Person, and Possession of a Molotov Cocktail. The judge held him without bond.
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