Massachusetts man wanted to assassinate Trump Cabinet member with Molotov cocktails

Flint McColgan, Boston Herald on Mar 28, 2026

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BOSTON — A Massachusetts man has pleaded guilty of plotting to assassinate U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He planned to do with Molotov cocktails made out of vodka.

“This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters. … (Expletive) them for pushing us so far. you dont deserve this. Im so sorry for lying and plotting and lying. Please survive,” Ryan Michael English had written on the back of a receipt found in his pants pocket when Capitol Police arrested him on Jan. 27, 2025.

English, 24, of Deerfield, pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington D.C. this week to one count of unlawful receipt, possession and/or transfer of a firearm and one count of carrying a firearm, dangerous weapon, or incendiary device on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.

The first charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000, according to a plea agreement signed Wednesday. The second charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for Aug. 14 at 10 a.m.

While English told police that his intention at his arrest on Jan. 27, 2025, was to “kill Scott Bessent,” police say that he had broader goals when he left his Deerfield home the day before.

Those plans, according to a Capitol Police affidavit supporting the charges, also included killing the “Nazi” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, or burning down the headquarters of the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.

English told police that he stopped on his way at a library in Chevy Chase, Maryland, when he learned of Bessent’s confirmation the following day and made him his new target: “Originally,” the affidavit states, “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,” and would have stabbed him with the knife if he could get close enough.

But apparently English had a change of heart while in the District of Columbia. He approached a Capitol Police officer, according to the affidavit, and said, “I’d like to turn myself in” and said he was in possession of knives and Molotov cocktails — which are homemade firebombs.

Capitol Police took him into custody and say they found just what he described: a folding knife in his front right pants pocket and two Molotov cocktails in the inside pockets of his jacket, according to the affidavit. The cocktails were made out of 50 milliliter bottles of Absolut-brand vodka with gray cloth stuffed into the tops. English told police the cloth was soaked in hand sanitizer. Further, he had a BIC lighter.

“Our system of justice depends on public officials being able to carry out their duties free from intimidation and fear,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro. “This defendant’s threats crossed a clear legal line, and today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to protecting those who serve. Anyone who threatens violence against government officials will be identified, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”