Politics
Thomson Reuters
FILE PHOTO - Flags fly above the entrance to the new Trump International Hotel on its opening day in Washington
A Pennsylvania man was arrested at President Donald Trump's Washington hotel early on Wednesday after police found an assault rifle, a handgun and 90 rounds of ammunition in his car, authorities said.Brian Moles, 43, of Edinboro, was taken into custody inside the Trump International Hotel a few blocks from the White House, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a charging document.
The Washington Post quoted police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck as saying that police had gotten a tip from an out-of-state law enforcement agency that said Moles "had made threatening remarks." Sternbeck would not characterize the comments, the Post said.
The Secret Service issued a statement Wednesday morning saying they had received a tip about Moles from a "concerned citizen" as well as hotel staff. Officers reportedly found a "semi-automatic assault-style rifle and a handgun in the individual's vehicle."
Police had been told Moles had a Glock 23 pistol and a Carbon 15 Bushmaster rifle, the incident report said. Officers saw one of the guns in his car and found a second firearm in the glove compartment.
Moles also had 30 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 60 .223-caliber rounds, the report said. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and possessing unregistered ammunition, the document said.
Police spokeswoman Karimah Bilal had no information about an attorney for Moles.
Trump's hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, housed in a landmark former post office, has become a focal point for protests against the Republican president since he took office in January.
Edinboro Police Chief Jeff Craft said by telephone that Moles had no criminal record in the western Pennsylvania town and was not known to police.