On the morning of October 5, 2025, the tranquil steps of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C., were transformed into the scene of a major security incident that would ripple through the city’s legal and religious communities. Just hours before the annual Red Mass—an event that traditionally marks the opening of the Supreme Court’s term and draws high-profile attendees including justices and public officials—police arrested Louis Geri, a 41-year-old resident of Vineland, New Jersey, after discovering a cache of more than 200 explosive devices stashed inside a tent he had erected on the cathedral’s steps.
The arrest, which unfolded just before 6:00 a.m., was the result of a routine security sweep conducted by officers assigned to the Red Mass detail. According to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Geri had been previously barred from the cathedral property on September 26, 2025, yet he returned to set up camp on the very morning of one of the city’s most significant religious gatherings. Officers found Geri refusing to vacate the premises and took him into custody without incident, but what they found next was anything but routine.
Inside Geri’s green tent, police uncovered a troubling arsenal: vials of liquid, suspected fireworks, and more than 200 homemade destructive devices, including grenades, modified bottle rockets covered in aluminum foil and treated with pyrotechnic solution, and Molotov cocktails. Court documents later revealed that some of the vials contained nitromethane—a highly volatile compound infamously used in the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. The devices, according to police and court records, appeared “fully functional.”
As officers approached, Geri made no attempt to hide his intentions. "You might want to stay back and call the federales, I have explosives," he warned, according to court records reviewed by the Washington Post. He repeatedly threatened to demonstrate the power of his devices, telling a bomb squad sergeant, "Do you want me to throw one out? I'll test one out in the street. I have a hundred plus of them. If you just step back, I'll take out that tree. No one will get hurt, there will just be a hole where that tree used to be." Police said Geri also warned, "several of your people are gonna die from one of these."
To de-escalate the tense standoff, officers agreed to read a nine-page document Geri handed over, titled "Written Negotiations for the Avoidance of Destruction of Property via Detonation of Explosives." The letter, torn from his notebook, expressed deep animosity toward the Catholic Church, Supreme Court justices, members of the Jewish faith, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to OSV News, Geri’s writings were laced with hostility and disdain for these institutions and individuals.
Ultimately, officers managed to arrest Geri when he stepped away from his tent, but not before he clutched a butane lighter and an unknown white-capped object, further increasing the danger of the situation. A subsequent search revealed that he was carrying additional incendiary devices in his pockets and backpack. The MPD’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and the Arson Task Force, aided by agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, examined the scene and sent the confiscated items for further review by federal authorities.
The incident forced a significant change in the day’s plans. According to the Catholic Standard, the start of the Red Mass was delayed, and—perhaps most notably—none of the Supreme Court justices attended the service, breaking with tradition. The Red Mass, held annually on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, is intended to “invoke God’s blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials,” as described by the cathedral’s website. Its absence of judicial attendees this year underscored the gravity of the threat.
After his arrest, Geri was charged with a litany of offenses: possession of a destructive device, unlawful entry, threats to kidnap or injure a person, possession of a Molotov cocktail, and making a false report of a weapon of mass destruction. He is currently being held in jail without bond and is due in court on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
Despite the alarming discovery and the scale of the potential threat, police were quick to assure the public that there was no ongoing risk. “While there is no known threat to the District of Columbia, MPD continues to encourage the public to remain vigilant,” the department said in a statement, as reported by WPVI. The swift action of law enforcement, combined with the coordinated response from specialized bomb squads and federal agencies, ensured that the situation was contained without injury or further escalation.
The motives behind Geri’s actions remain under investigation, but his writings and statements at the scene point to a pattern of deep-seated animosity toward multiple institutions. The nine-page letter he authored, which police read aloud in an effort to defuse the situation, railed against the Supreme Court, the Catholic Church, members of the Jewish faith, and ICE. This breadth of expressed hostility has prompted authorities to examine his background and possible connections to extremist ideologies.
According to court documents cited by 7News and The Hill, Geri claimed to have a background in explosives and described his devices as grenades, explaining that he intended to use modified bottle rockets to detonate them from a distance. The presence of nitromethane and other chemicals further alarmed investigators, given their destructive potential. Items seized at the scene have been sent to the FBI for further analysis as the investigation continues.
The Red Mass, a tradition dating back centuries and celebrated in Washington, D.C., since 1953, is meant to unite the legal and religious communities in a spirit of reflection and hope for the coming judicial year. This year, however, the day was overshadowed by the specter of violence averted at the cathedral’s doorstep. The absence of Supreme Court justices at the Mass was a stark reminder of the vulnerability even the most sacred and established traditions can face in the modern era.
As the city moves forward, the incident at St. Matthew’s Cathedral serves as a sobering example of the importance of vigilance, preparedness, and the tireless dedication of law enforcement officers who work to keep public events safe—even when the threat comes from the most unexpected quarters.
