Ryan Michael English, 24, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, was charged in a two-count indictment issued today in US District Court with attempting to assassinate a Cabinet member and carrying a dangerous weapon on the grounds of the United States Capitol Building..

The charges stem from English’s claimed attempt to enter the premises with a knife and two makeshift Molotov cocktails on January 27, 2025, with the intention of harming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The charges were issued by US Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and US Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger. English, who is in jail, had his first court appearance this afternoon.

English, nicknamed “Reily,” has been charged with carrying a dangerous weapon or incendiary device on Capitol grounds, as well as unlawful possession of an incendiary device.

According to the criminal records, on January 27, 2025, at around 3:12 p.m., English approached a US Capitol Police Officer near the South Door of the Capitol Building and declared, “I’d like to turn myself in.” English also acknowledged having a knife and two “molotov cocktails.”

Officers examined English and discovered a folding knife and two homemade incendiary devices in the inner pockets of his jacket. The devices were made of 50 milliliter vodka bottles with a gray cloth attached to the tops. Police discovered a green lighter in another pocket.

During the search, English reportedly admitted to being in the Capitol to assassinate a presidential contender who was testifying before the United States Senate. Police discovered a letter in a pocket stating, “This is terrible, but I can’t do anything while nazis kill my sisters…” I’m really sorry for lying, planning, and lying.”

English admitted to flying to the District of Columbia to kill a government person or destroy a Washington, D.C.-based think tank organization.

The US Capitol Police are investigating this case. Brendan M. Horan, Special Assistant US Attorney, is prosecuting the case.

WATCH:

Earlier this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that the FBI is analyzing “tens of thousands of videos of [Jeffrey] Epstein with children or child porn” and that there are “hundreds of victims” as she addressed concerns about the delay in releasing the case files.

“The FBI is diligently going through that,” Bondi told reporters on Wednesday morning, explaining that the volume of evidence was why more files had not yet been provided.

Epstein, the convicted pedophile financier, committed suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting prosecution on sex trafficking charges. His riches and altruism established him as a prominent figure in politics, academics, and finance.

However, the full nature of his crimes remains unknown, including whether he had any collaborators other than his incarcerated partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the new Trump administration has promised complete openness of the Epstein files.