A man who allegedly had a molotov cocktail was arrested Sunday outside St. Matthew’s Cathedral before the annual Mass marking the start of a new Supreme Court term, according to the D.C. police.

Officers encountered a man about 6 a.m. who had set up a tent on the steps of the cathedral on Rhode Island Avenue NW, police said. A Red Mass honoring the judiciary is held at the cathedral each year before the start of the high court’s term.

They said the man had been barred from the cathedral premises but refused to leave and was arrested.

During the arrest, officers saw “suspicious items” including vials of liquid and possible fireworks in the tent. A bomb unit and arson investigators were sent to the scene, police said.

It was not clear why the man was at the cathedral, why he had the item

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