The MAN arrested on Monday for entering the U.S. Capitol with Molotov cocktails and knives has been identified and clarified as his own attorney as a transgender woman.
WWLP, a news outlet in Massachusetts, initially reported that the suspect was “Ryan Michael English, but added a later update clarifying that “English’s attorney clarified that her client uses the name Riley Jane.”
According to WWLP:
Riley Jane English, 24, allegedly drove from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., intending to kill top Republicans in the Trump Administration. Some of those officials include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson, but English changed her target to recently-confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent after reading an internet post about a confirmation hearing, according to police.
WUSA9 in Washington D.C. reported that the charging documents noted that English’s initial intent was to kill Trump administration officials, but once he was caught he told officers a different story.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone…I don’t want to hurt people,” English allegedly told officers, according to WUSA9. “That’s why I turned myself in.”
That’s a pretty easy flip once you're caught. But, that’s not all.
Where did English get part of his motivation for “visiting” the Capitol?
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“According to the detention memo,” as reported in the WUSA9 article, “English said she had been inspired by Luigi Mangione, who is facing murder charges for allegedly gunning down the CEO of insurance giant United Healthcare outside a Manhattan hotel last year.”
According to The Post Millennial:
English intended to kill "'Nazi' Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegseth, and/or the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and/or burning down the Heritage Foundation," the affidavit stated. "These actions were specifically to 'depose' these political offices and send a message." After stopping in a library in Chevy Chase, Maryland, en route to the capital, English changed his mind about who to target upon learning about Bessent's confirmation.
"Originally, English’s thoughts were to use the small bottles of vodka to start fires and later to wrap them in rags soaked in alcohol, light them and throw them at Bessent’s feet." The affidavit, read, going on to note that English told authorities "in the event English was able to get close enough to Bessent, English would have stabbed him with the knife that English brought from home.”
English was prepared to die as a result of the attack, perhaps intending to commit suicide by cop.
So, again, it’s really easy to change your story and say that you decided against violence once you’ve been caught by authorities. But, all the evidence — including English’s own statements — points to violent intentions.
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