A small gyrocopter landed on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon, according to the Washington Post.
Officials in Washington did not immediately disclose the pilot's identity to local media, but a postal worker from Florida told the Tampa Bay Times he planned to land a gyrocopter on the Capitol lawn to bring attention to campaign finance policies.
"I have carefully planned it so that nobody will get hurt, including me," 61-year-old Doug Hughes told the Tampa Bay Times in a video interview posted online.
The video shows a gyrocopter seemingly identical to the device that landed on the Capitol lawn.
Officials detained the pilot and closed down the surrounding streets, according to a statement Capitol Police spokeswoman Kimberly Schneider gave to the Washington Post.
Around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Schneider told the Post a bomb squad had cleared the gyrocopter and would soon move it to a secure location.
Mike Shanahan, an alleged friend of Hughes, reportedly left a message with a secret service agent to notify him of Hughes's plans.
"I was scared to death they were going to kill him," Shanahan told the Tampa Bay Times. "My thanks goes out to whomever it was who decided not to pull the trigger.
The Washington Post reported witnesses inside the Capitol saw police arrest Hughes, who carried with him a box with 535 letters intended for each member of Congress.
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