Mass. woman arrested at Capitol after threatening to kill Trump cabinet members, police say

A Massachusetts woman was arrested on weapons charges after she visited the U.S. Capitol on Monday and told police that she wanted to kill top Republicans, including billionaire investor Scott Bessent on the day that the Senate confirmed him as President Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, according to a Tuesday court filing.

Ryan Michael English, who goes by Riley English, was arrested at the Capitol after she approached police and said she had knives and Molotov cocktails in her possession and wanted to surrender, according to a Capitol police officer’s affidavit. Investigators said they found a folding knife, two homemade firebombs and a lighter in English's possession.

The 24-year-old from South Deerfield, Massachusetts, also told police that she came there to kill Bessent, the affidavit says.

The Senate confirmed Bessent on a 68-to-29 vote, with 16 Democrats voting in favor of the South Carolina resident.

Investigators searched English's car and found material for making a homemade explosive device, police said.

English told investigators that she traveled from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., intending to kill other Republican political figures — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson — and to burn down the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, according to police.

“These actions were specifically to 'depose' these political offices and send a message,” the affidavit says.

English changed her target to Bessent after reading an internet post about her confirmation hearing, according to police.

English was arrested on charges of unlawful receipt, possession or transfer of a firearm and of carrying a firearm, a dangerous weapon, an explosive or an incendiary device on Capitol grounds.

Court records don’t name an attorney for English. A telephone message left with a possible relative of English wasn’t immediately returned.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the gender of English.