Police question man who allegedly threw Molotov cocktail in NW

D.C. police are questioning a man who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail Tuesday from atop his van on a busy downtown street as a form of government protest.

Shortly after 2 p.m., the man abruptly stopped his van at 17th and K St NW, and climbed up on the roof, said police spokesman Kevin Palmer. The man then unfurled a banner or flashed some sort of placard and allegedly threw the cocktail to the ground, Palmer said.

Members of the police department's explosive ordinance unit responded as a precaution, along with the joint terrorism task force, a law enforcement team made up of both local and federal officials. A hazmat team from the D.C. Fire Department also responded to the scene.

The man was apprehended and taken to the second district.

With the first state dinner of the Obama administration scheduled for Tuesday evening, authorities are on high alert.