Capitol Police Missed Device

He said that bomb squad technicians were urged by their superiors to hurry and that they missed the device, which was rolled up in old clothes behind the driver's seat.

Thinking the vehicle was not a danger, police seized it and moved it to a Government Printing Office parking lot off North Capitol Street, officials said. Three weeks later, officers returned with a search warrant to look for papers and other items as part of the investigation.

"What they found was totally unexpected," the source said.

The Capitol Police bomb squad is considered one of the best of the dozen federal, state and local squads in the area, with top-notch equipment and abundant personnel.

One officer has been removed from the bomb squad and returned to regular duty because of the incident, and the investigation is continuing, the source said.

Yesterday marked the first time officials revealed the potential gravity of Gorbey's actions. Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Police spokeswoman, had told The Washington Post last month that the bomb squad had found an unidentified powder in Gorbey's pickup but that it "was determined not to be hazardous."

Yesterday, she confirmed that the substance was gunpowder but said she could not provide details about a case that is now in court. She said that the Capitol Police routinely do after-action reviews of critical incidents but that she could not comment on personnel matters.

According to court records, Gorbey has been in and out of prison since 1991 and has been convicted of larceny, domestic violence and illegally possessing firearms and drug paraphernalia. At the time of his arrest in January, he had in his backpack or in the truck numerous documents, tapes and disposable cameras that he said contained evidence of "wrongful doings" by police officers and government agents, according to papers Gorbey filed with D.C. Superior Court.

Gorbey told police officers who detained him that he had a meeting with U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and was carrying the shotgun for protection. Prosecutors said Gorbey did not have such an appointment.