A 61-year-old mailman was arrested Wednesday after landing a small helicopter on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol as part of a protest for campaign finance reform.
Doug Hughes, of Ruskin, Florida, was promptly arrested upon his landing around 1:30 p.m
, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Last year, a Secret Service agent reportedly visited Hughes and questioned him for about 45 minutes about his planned protest, the newspaper said.
"We're heading full-throttle toward a breakdown," Hughes said at the time. "There's no question that we need government, but we don't have to accept that it's a corrupt government that sells out to the highest bidder. We can have a government that works for the people, that answers to the people, that can only take money from the people in small amounts."
On Wednesday, nearby streets were closed as the FBI investigated the incident and a bomb squad examined the
gyrocopter for hazards, ABC News reported.
House Homeland Security panel Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said that if Hughes had come closer to the Capitol before landing, he would
have been shot down, NBC Washington reported.
In an email to news organizations, Hughes said he planned to deliver 535 letters to lawmakers detailing his objection to alleged corruption and his ideas for possible solutions.
“I'm going to land my gyro on the front lawn of the Capitol Building at the top end of the National Mall,” the message said, according to NBC. “The issue is important enough to defy the no-fly zone and risk life and limb, and my freedom in pursuit of an honest government that represents the people.”
Twitter users shared mixed reactions.
The Tampa Bay Times published a feature video on Hughes and his gyrocopter prior to his Wednesday landing.