WASHINGTON —Metropolitan Police Department officers assigned to security for the Red Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Sunday morning arrested a man who had set up a tent on the cathedral steps and was found with materials described by authorities as potentially hazardous.
Shortly before 6:00 a.m. on October 5, 2025, officers encountered the individual, later identified as 41-year-old Louis Geri of Vineland, New Jersey, after they determined he had previously been barred from the cathedral grounds and refused to leave. The arrest was made “without incident,” according to MPD.
During the arrest, officers discovered multiple suspicious items inside the tent — including vials of liquid and objects resembling fireworks. The department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, along with the Arson Task Force, responded to examine the materials.
The immediate area — including the cathedral’s main entrance and the 1700 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW — was closed while investigators secured the scene. Officials have stated that there is no ongoing threat to public safety.
Geri faces preliminary charges of unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person, and possession of a Molotov cocktail. The investigation is ongoing in cooperation with the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
In Washington, the Red Mass is held annually at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, typically on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, marking the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term. The service, sponsored by the John Carroll Society, aims to invoke divine guidance and blessings for judges, lawyers, and public officials responsible for the administration of justice.
Officials have stated that no Supreme Court justices were in attendance this year, though they have attended the Red Mass in previous years. Attendees often include justices, federal and local jurists, members of Congress, diplomats, and representatives of the legal and academic communities.
[…] Suspect Arrested With Molotov Cocktail Outside of Red Mass for Supreme Court’s New Term. Metropolitan Police Department officers assigned to security for the Red Mass at St. Matthew’s Cathedral on Sunday morning arrested a man who had set up a tent on the cathedral steps and was found with materials described by authorities as potentially hazardous. […]