- Police arrested an armed man near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home.
- A source close to the investigation said the man had "intent to kill Kavanaugh."
- The man was reportedly upset about a leaked draft opinion that shows the court may overturn Roe v. Wade.
Police arrested an armed man near Brett Kavanaugh's Maryland home early Wednesday after he made threats against the Supreme Court justice, according to officials.
The man from California went to Kavanaugh's residence in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with the "intent to kill Kavanaugh," a source close to the investigation told Insider.
Montgomery County Police Department spokeswoman Shiera Goff told Insider that the department got a "call for service" at around 1:40 a.m. near Kavanaugh's home.
Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a statement to Insider that the man — identified in court documents as Nicholas John Roske — was arrested near Kavanaugh's residence at around 1:50 a.m.
"The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh," McCabe said.
The man was taken to Montgomery County jail, Goff told Insider.
Roske told investigators that he wanted to kill Kavanaugh because he was upset about the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and angry that the Supreme Court may soon overturn abortion rights, according to court documents.
Roske told a Montgomery County Police detective "that he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas," according to documents filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
The documents added, "Roske indicated that he believed the Justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws."
Authorities allegedly found a slew of weapons and tools inside a suitcase and backpack they seized from Roske, including a tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol, zip ties, and a crowbar, according to the court documents.
The Washington Post first reported the news of the apparent assassination plan.
People close to the investigation told the Post that police found initial evidence that shows the man was upset about last month's leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide nearly 50 years ago.
The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a series of contentious decisions by the end of this month, including a major one concerning abortion.
The news comes after abortion-rights protestors gathered around the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh's home, and those of other Supreme Court justices in light of the leaked draft last month.
The Senate swiftly took action and unanimously passed a bill that would provide additional security to the justices and their families, though the House has not yet approved it, with some lawmakers seeking to include protections for Supreme Court staff.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also ordered more security protections for the justices in response to the protests. Asked about the arrest Wednesday, Garland said threats and acts of violence against the justices "strike at the heart of our democracy."
"We will do everything we can to prevent them and hold people who do them accountable. For that reason, last month I accelerated the protection of all justices' residences 24/7," Garland told reporters.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell addressed the news on the Senate floor on Wednesday, calling it "extremely disturbing" and urging House Democrats to take up the bipartisan legislation, introduced by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware.
"This is exactly, exactly the kind of event that many feared that the terrible breach of the court's rules and norms could fuel," McConnell said.
"This is exactly the kind of event that many worried the unhinged, reckless, apocalyptic rhetoric from prominent figures toward the court, going back many months, and especially in recent weeks, could make more likely," he continued, a seemingly implicit jab at Democratic leaders that criticized the Supreme Court in the wake of the leaked draft opinion.
Cornyn also weighed in on the news on Wednesday, calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to consider his bill.
"The arrest of this individual proves these threats to the Justices' lives are horrifyingly real, and it's unconscionable for House Democrats to leave their families without police protection for even one more day," the senator said in a statement. "Speaker Pelosi must keep the House in session until they pass my bill. Every day they don't the threat to the Justices grows, the potential for tragedy becomes more likely, and House Democrats achieve a new apex of political dysfunction."