California man brings wooden guillotine to Capitol grounds, pleads not guilty

A California man, Philan-Tam-Duy Le, was arraigned on a misdemeanor charge after police found a 10-foot wooden guillotine in the back of a Toyota Tacoma parked near the US Capitol. Le pleaded not guilty to attempted possession of a prohibited weapon; prosecutors sought to keep him jailed, but a DC Superior Court judge released him. The judge acknowledged the device’s seriousness yet noted Le did not threaten anyone, flee, or act violently. Investigators are probing Le’s motives and background, and his brother described him as a free spirit with the guillotine potentially serving as a symbol of disapproval.