A man trapped with a machete near DNC is charged as new details of white supremacist views appear

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U.S. Capitol police said Monday they found Donald Craighead with both weapons in the truck and the vehicle was equipped with neo-Nazi symbols, including a swastika in the driver’s mirror.

During a brief court appearance on Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to a charge of carrying a dangerous weapon outside the home. The indictment is a felony and Craighead can receive up to five years in prison if convicted, although defendants often receive far less than the maximum legal sentence.

The sworn statements of the investigators contained new details about the weapons. The machete was 21 inches long, while the other knife, which police initially described as a “bayonet” on Monday, was actually a large hunting knife with a 7.5-inch blade.

During the hearing, a defense attorney requested a psychological evaluation for Craighead. Researchers who interviewed Craighead said it looked delusional and showed classic signs of mental illness.

Craighead told investigators he only planned to use the long knives for defensive purposes, according to notes from his volunteer interview.

DC High Court Judge Lloyd Nolan ordered Craighead to remain in jail until his next hearing. Craighead, a bald white man, was handcuffed and flanked by U.S. marshals and wore camouflage pants.

Unsealed court documents on Tuesday shed new light on Craighead’s extremist views. Police officers said in a sworn affidavit that they were told, “Why do you take me all out when there are brown people hurting whites?” They also said he uttered insults against gays about a prominent Hispanic author and blamed the LGBT community for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Police told court records they found a handwritten inscription on the car that read, “death to others, white power.”

According to court records, he told investigators he was not part of any extremist group. But police said he was wearing a T-shirt affiliated with the “Boogaloo Boys” when he was arrested, a violent far-right movement known for anti-government views and for trying to instigate a racial war in the United States.

Craighead told investigators he only planned to use the long knives for defensive purposes, according to notes from his volunteer interview that were made public Tuesday.

National security officials have warned, with growing alarm in recent months, of the threat posed by right-wing extremists and white nationalists. The Department of Homeland Security has said these extremists are being radicalized by misinformation about the 2020 elections and the Covid-19 pandemic.

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