A man who threatened to detonate a bomb near the US Capitol in Washington DC, resulting in a five-hour standoff with police, has faced court charged with threatening or attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, 51, caused widespread panic around the capital and prompted the evacuation of nearby government buildings on Thursday after parking his truck a short distance from the White House and claiming to have a bomb.

The North Carolina man then live-streamed threats on Facebook about having a possible bomb while holding what appeared to be some type of metal canister on his lap.

“The revolution’s on, it’s here,” Roseberry said in the video. “I’m ready to die for the cause.”

Roseberry has been charged with making threats or attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting the use of an explosive device, and faced court on Friday.

He has been ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation after Roseberry told the court he did not understand the proceedings against him because he had not been able to take his medications for blood pressure or for his “mind.”

“My memory isn’t that well, sir,” Roseberry said, adding that his wife has power of attorney over his medical issues and he did not know the names of his medications.

-AAP