Man arrested with hundreds of explosives outside Washington cathedral before SCOTUS Red Mass

None of the Supreme Court justices participated in the celebration, which they usually attend year after year, due to security concerns. The Mass was first officiated in the country in 1928.

Attendees at the Red Mass, from which the Supreme Court justices were absent.@WashArchdiocese/YouTube.

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Santiago Ospital

8 de octubre, 2025

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A man identified as Louis D. Geri was arrested in Washington, D.C. on the steps of a church, where authorities said he had 200 explosives. Hours later, the church was to host the Red Mass, a celebration in which prayers are said for judges and officials at the beginning of the Supreme Court session.

Police claimed to have found documents revealing that the suspect professed "significant animosity" toward Supreme Court justices, the Catholic Church, Jews and ICE agents.

Geri was found around 5 a.m. Sunday, camped out in a green tent in the vicinity of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. When a uniformed woman warned him to move because Red Mass was to be held, Geri replied, according to official documents reviewed by VOZ: "I'm aware of that."

"Do you want me to throw one out, I'll test one out in the street? I have a hundred plus of them," he also told the officer referring to the explosives he claimed to have. "If you just step back, I'll take out that tree." When the female officer refused, assuring him that he would be forcibly moved, the suspect replied, "several of your people are gonna to die from one of these."

He then threatened the officers again, still according to their official testimony, "you better have these people step away or there's going to be deaths, I'm telling you now!" as he rested his finger on the butane lighter of the suspected explosive.

Later Geri allegedly stood up, walking over to some trees. He "appeared to be urinating," according to an officer's affidavit. When he was placed in handcuffs, he claimed he had another device in his pocket.

Geri's charges

According to police, the detainee will face several charges:

Unlawful Entry
Manufacture, Transfer, Use, Possession or Transportation of Molotov Cocktails, or other Explosives for Unlawful purposes
Threats to Kidnap or Injure a person
Assault on Police Officer
Possession of Destructive
Manufacture or Possession of Weapon of Mass Destruction (Hate Crime)
Resisting Arrest

A Washington judge ordered him held without bail and he will undergo a preliminary hearing on Thursday, according to FOX.

A Red Mass without SCOTUS judges

In their coverage of the celebration itself, the specialized media National Catholic Reporter and Catholic Standard mention that no judges attended due to concerns about their safety.

In addition, National Catholic Reporter details that the event was 20 minutes late and that its attendees had to enter through a side door.

Both newspapers emphasize that usually several members of the court attend the event. Six of the Supreme Court justices are Catholic, while two are Jewish.

What is the Red Mass?

"The Red Mass is celebrated annually at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, traditionally on the Sunday before the first Monday in October, which marks the opening of the Supreme Court's annual term," explained the cathedral. "Its purpose is to invoke God's blessings on those responsible for the administration of justice as well as on all public officials."

The celebration dates back centuries to Rome and its name refers to the scarlet robes worn by royal magistrates. As explained by the John Carroll Society, one of the driving forces behind the event, the Red Mass marked the official opening of the judicial year of the Holy See's highest court, the Sacred Roman Rota.

It is believed to have been first imported to the United States in New York in 1928.