A man arrested outside of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., on Sunday was found to have more than 200 handmade explosives that he intended to detonate during the cathedral's annual Red Mass, court records filed on Monday showed.
Louis Geri, 41, of Vineland, New Jersey, was arrested shortly before 6 a.m. on Sunday, October 5. Geri had set up a tent on the steps of the cathedral and refused to vacate when the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) asked him to do so, said a statement released Sunday by the MPD.
Geri, said the MPD, "was previously barred from the premises of the Cathedral."
Inside Geri's tent, officers "observed multiple suspicious items, including vials of liquid and possible fireworks," said the MPD. The MPD's Explosive Ordinance Disposal and Arson Task Force responded to the threat and secured the scene.
Geri was preliminarily charged with "Unlawful Entry, Threats to Kidnap or Injure a Person," and "Possession of a Molotov Cocktail," said the MPD.
Targeted Supreme Court
Documents filed in the D.C. Superior Court on Monday, October 6, revealed that Geri repeatedly threatened the MPD officers with the explosive devices and had targeted the Red Mass specifically.
When an officer instructed Geri to move his tent off of the steps, Geri replied "You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives/bombs." He also confirmed to the officer that he was "aware" of the upcoming Red Mass, and offered to detonate one of his explosives on the street.
Geri gave MPD officers paperwork titled "Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives" and repeatedly threatened to kill police officers and others at the scene.
The papers contained writings detailing "his significant animosity towards the Catholic church, members of the Jewish faith, members of SCOTUS and ICE/ ICE facilities," said the records.
In total, there were "more than 200 devices" in Geri's tent, and the devices "appeared to be fully functional," said court documents. Geri described them as "grenades and explosives containing Nitro Methane."
What is the Red Mass?
The Red Mass is an annual event to pray for justices, judges, attorneys, government officials, and other similar professionals. While the tradition of a Red Mass goes back centuries, in the United States, the Red Mass has marked the opening of the Supreme Court’s judicial year.
The Mass is celebrated at St. Matthew each year on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, says the cathedral's website.
Typically, one or more members of the Supreme Court attend the Red Mass there. This year, due to the security threat, none were in attendance.
The Red Mass is meant to "invoke God's blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials."
The Catholic Church celebrates other Masses for professional groups, such as a Blue Mass for first responders and a White Mass for medical professionals.
