A man named Floyd Ray Roseberry who claims to be sitting in his truck with explosives speaks during a Facebook livestream in a still image from video taken in Washington, U.S. August 19, 2021.
Social Media | via Reuters
The North Carolina man who announced he had a bomb in his truck parked on Capitol Hill was charged Friday with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempted use of an explosive device.
The man, Floyd Ray Roseberry, was also ordered detained without bail at a hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., pending a medical screening for the defendant.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered that evaluation after Roseberry said it would be difficult to understand the proceedings because he has been denied medications for his blood pressure, and “my mind medicine” since surrendering to police on Thursday.
“My memory isn’t that well, sir,” Roseberry said during the remote appearance via audio link-up.
“We don’t have to see each other eye to eye,” Roseberry said at one point, referring to the lack of physical presence or video. “I can tell in your voice you’re a good man … I’m willing to do whatever’s asked.”
Roseberry, who said he is 51 years old despite authorities saying he is 49, was appointed a federal public defender by Faruqui.
He is next due in court on Wednesday. Roseberry faces a maximum possible prison sentence of life if convicted of the charge of weapons of mass destruction charge.
Prosecutors said they will ask Faruqui to detain him without bail pending trial.
Roseberry’s threat led to the evacuation of buildings including the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the Cannon House Office Building, and the offices of the Republican National Committee.
Roseberry parked a pickup truck on a sidewalk outside the library Thursday morning.
He then told cops he had a bomb inside, setting off an hours-long standoff that ended with him surrendering peacefully.
Floyd Ray Roseberry sits in his pickup truck in a standoff with Capitol Police outside the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. on Aug. 19th, 2021
Photo: Sydney Bobb
Before giving up, the Grover, North Carolina, man posted videos on Facebook from his truck, speaking directly to President Joe Biden, whose resignation he demanded as he called for a revolution.
He also called for U.S. airstrikes on the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Roseberry claimed on a video that he had a keg of gunpowder and more than two pounds of the explosive tannerite in the truck. He also suggested there were four other bombs in the D.C. area.
