Officials Give Update After Arrest Outside DC Church
The disturbing case of Louis Geri — the man arrested outside Washington, D.C.’s St. Matthew Cathedral just hours before the annual Red Mass — is no longer just a story of public disturbance. As new details emerge, it’s now evident this was a narrowly averted act of mass violence, with clear ideological undertones rooted in radical left-wing animus.
The Red Mass, traditionally held to mark the opening of the Supreme Court’s term, has long been a symbolic event where members of the legal profession gather for reflection and prayer. This year, however, it came dangerously close to being the scene of an unspeakable tragedy. Geri, 41, arrived early on the morning of October 5 and planted himself in a tent on the cathedral steps — despite already being banned from the property.
ATTACK AVOIDED AT CATHEDRAL? DC police say they found 200 devices and a smell of acetone emitting from some of the vials, in a tent a New Jersey man allegedly set up on the steps of St. Matthew's Cathedral just hours before the annual Red Mass. Louis Geri, 41, has been arrested.… pic.twitter.com/3mmzrtC0YA
— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) October 7, 2025
What at first seemed like a case of trespassing quickly escalated. Geri told officers on the scene: “You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives.” When informed he would need to vacate the premises due to the upcoming Red Mass, Geri doubled down, saying: “I have a hundred plus of them,” referring to explosive devices. He then handed over a nine-page manifesto titled, “Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives.”
The manifesto, according to court records, laid bare his motivations — a caustic hatred of the Catholic Church, the Jewish community, the Supreme Court, and ICE. This wasn’t random rage. It was targeted, ideological, and unmistakably extremist.
When arrested, Geri had a lighter in hand and reportedly attempted to trigger a device. Police found a vial in his pocket with yellow liquid and a taped M-device, a type of improvised explosive. After a full sweep of his tent, authorities recovered over 200 fully functional devices, with mixtures of nitromethane and acetone — both potent explosive materials. As one bomb technician put it, “none [were] in original containers,” making the cache all the more dangerous and unstable.
Geri is now facing multiple federal charges, including possession of destructive devices, use of weapons of mass destruction (classified as a hate crime), threats to injure or kidnap, and resisting arrest.
The implications are stark. This was not an isolated incident or the work of a man driven solely by personal delusion. The materials, the manifesto, the choice of target — all point to a broader, more organized hatred aimed at religious institutions and the judiciary. That the Red Mass is associated with the Supreme Court only amplifies the ideological motivation.
Thankfully, police were on-site and took decisive action. Had they not, we may well be talking today about a mass casualty event — one that could have killed not only parishioners but potentially sitting justices of the Supreme Court.