The pilot of a small helicopter that landed on the U.S. Capitol's West lawn in Washington, D.C., this afternoon has been arrested, according to Capitol Police.
U.S. Capitol Police identified the pilot as Doug Hughes, who was profiled in the Tampa Bay Times after he reportedly contacted the newspaper to share his plan to deliver a political message to the Capitol similar to what played out there today. Charges against him are pending.
Small Helicopter Lands on West Front of US Capitol, Pilot Arrested
Gyrocopter's Flight to the US Capitol: How It Unfolded
Here's what we know about Hughes so far:
Who Is Doug Hughes?
Hughes is a 61-year-old mailman, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The U.S. Postal Service confirmed that he is a rural letter carrier.
In a video in the newspaper's story, Hughes says he flies a "gyro-plane," which he describes as a "flying bicycle."
Hughes is also apparently the vice president of "The Civilist Papers," a blog claiming to be a non-profit advocating for U.S. Congress reform, according to the blog's "About Us" page.
What Does Doug Hughes Want?
The video on the Tampa Bay Times website says he wants "to draw attention to campaign finance reform" by delivering "letters to Congress asking them to change the campaign finance laws."
In the video, Hughes then adds he's going to "nonviolently" fly his gyrocopter into the "no-fly-zone" and land it "in front of the Capitol Building."
"I'm going to have 535 letters strapped to the landing gear in boxes, and those letters are gonna be addressed to every member of Congress," he says.
Why Deliver Letters to Congress Via Gyrocopter?
He explains in the video: "I'm delivering the message right to them not for their sake but for the impact that it will have because I'm trying to galvanize millions of people to do a relatively simple thing -- change the government to build a wall of separation between the government and big money, so the government will represent the people."
Hughes also emphasized he didn't see himself as a terrorist.
"I'm not suicidal, and I'm not going to commit suicide, and I'm not going to fly into any monuments," he says in the video. "Terrorists don't announce their flights before they take off, okay? Terrorists don't broadcast their flight path. Terrorists don't invite an escort to go along with them."
At the end of the video, Hughes says, "I'd rather die in flight than live to be 80 years old and see this country fall."
When Did Doug Hughes Plan the Flight?
Hughes has been thinking about this for over two years, the Tampa Bay Times reported, adding he loaded his gyrocopter onto a trailer last Friday and left Florida on Saturday to "tow his gyrocopter to an airport in Virginia to carry out his protest."
Read more
Culled from Yahoo News
U.S. Capitol Police identified the pilot as Doug Hughes, who was profiled in the Tampa Bay Times after he reportedly contacted the newspaper to share his plan to deliver a political message to the Capitol similar to what played out there today. Charges against him are pending.
Small Helicopter Lands on West Front of US Capitol, Pilot Arrested
Gyrocopter's Flight to the US Capitol: How It Unfolded
Here's what we know about Hughes so far:
Who Is Doug Hughes?
Hughes is a 61-year-old mailman, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The U.S. Postal Service confirmed that he is a rural letter carrier.
In a video in the newspaper's story, Hughes says he flies a "gyro-plane," which he describes as a "flying bicycle."
 |
| PHOTO: Doug Hughes, a mail man from Ruskin, Fla. is seen in this file photo taken before Hughes flew a gyrocopter … |
Hughes is also apparently the vice president of "The Civilist Papers," a blog claiming to be a non-profit advocating for U.S. Congress reform, according to the blog's "About Us" page.
What Does Doug Hughes Want?
The video on the Tampa Bay Times website says he wants "to draw attention to campaign finance reform" by delivering "letters to Congress asking them to change the campaign finance laws."
In the video, Hughes then adds he's going to "nonviolently" fly his gyrocopter into the "no-fly-zone" and land it "in front of the Capitol Building."
"I'm going to have 535 letters strapped to the landing gear in boxes, and those letters are gonna be addressed to every member of Congress," he says.
Why Deliver Letters to Congress Via Gyrocopter?
He explains in the video: "I'm delivering the message right to them not for their sake but for the impact that it will have because I'm trying to galvanize millions of people to do a relatively simple thing -- change the government to build a wall of separation between the government and big money, so the government will represent the people."
Hughes also emphasized he didn't see himself as a terrorist.
"I'm not suicidal, and I'm not going to commit suicide, and I'm not going to fly into any monuments," he says in the video. "Terrorists don't announce their flights before they take off, okay? Terrorists don't broadcast their flight path. Terrorists don't invite an escort to go along with them."
At the end of the video, Hughes says, "I'd rather die in flight than live to be 80 years old and see this country fall."
When Did Doug Hughes Plan the Flight?
Hughes has been thinking about this for over two years, the Tampa Bay Times reported, adding he loaded his gyrocopter onto a trailer last Friday and left Florida on Saturday to "tow his gyrocopter to an airport in Virginia to carry out his protest."
Read more
Culled from Yahoo News
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