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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A motorist crashed a vehicle into US Capitol police on Friday and brandished a knife, killing one officer and wounding another and forcing the Capitol complex to lock itself up in an attack police say it did not appear to be immediately related to terrorism. .
Police responded by shooting at the suspect, who died.
Yogananda Pittman, Acting Chief of the US Capitol Police, said at a press conference that the suspect collided with officers, then hit a barricade and got out of the car, lashing out at them with a knife in his hand. .
“It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce that one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.
The other officer was injured, he said.
Capitol Police later identified the slain officer as William “Billy” Evans, an 18-year veteran of the force.
“It does not appear to be related to terrorism, but obviously we will continue to investigate,” said Robert Contee, acting chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.
President Joe Biden said he was heartbroken by the attack and ordered the White House flags to be lowered to half mast. In a statement, he said he was being briefed on the investigation.
The Washington Post, citing anonymous sources familiar with the investigation, named the suspect as Noah Green and reported that one of his sources said Green had an address in Virginia.
Police said the suspect was unknown to them, they had yet to determine what had motivated him and they did not identify him.
“Clearly this was someone who was actively trying to reach out to whoever or whatever, we just don’t know at this point,” Contee said. “Whether the attack was against the police or whoever it is, we have a responsibility to get to the bottom and we will.”
Dozens of police cars, marked and unmarked, raced toward the iconic domed white building, in an unwanted reminder of January 6, when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump invaded the complex.
It was the worst security threat on Capitol Hill since then.
US spy agencies warned in mid-March of a constant threat that racially motivated violent extremists such as white supremacists will carry out mass casualty attacks on civilians, while militia groups target police. and government personnel and buildings.
Cars or police officers blocked roads leading to the complex and people inside the Capitol were told to stay away from windows for much of the afternoon before police announced that the lockdown had been lifted.
Video and photos from the scene showed a blue car rammed into a security barricade, with the front door open.
HEAVY SECURITY
There were few people in the Capitol. Members of Congress were not in Washington on Friday, with the Senate and House in recess for the Easter holidays.
Dozens of National Guard troops, who have been stationed on Capitol Hill since the January attack, quickly deployed. Heavily armed and in riot gear, they trotted in columns to stand in rows at the scene and around the compound.
Authorities have begun only in recent weeks to remove the outer ring of tall barbed-wire fences erected around the sprawling Capitol complex after the January 6 uproar. Many of the thousands of National Guard personnel posted at the building in January had also been sent home.
Lawmakers have been arguing over how much security should remain on Capitol Hill, which is a popular park for city residents, as well as the seat of government. Members of Congress from both political parties have enacted laws to make it illegal to erect permanent fences around the building.
The January 6 assault took place as the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Senate chaired by then-Vice President Mike Pence, certified Biden’s victory in the November elections over Republican Trump.
At the time, Trump supporters shouted slogans including “Stop the Steal” and “Hang Mike Pence” as they attacked the Capitol and said they hoped to stop voter certification.
Biden, a Democrat, took office on January 20.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for the US Capitol Police. After the events of January 6 and now the events that occurred here today. So I ask that you keep our family from the Capitol Police. from the US in your thoughts and prayers, “Pittman said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who ordered the Capitol flags lowered to half mast, praised Evans as “a martyr for our democracy.”
“Congress stands ready to assist law enforcement with a swift and thorough investigation into this heinous attack,” Pelosi said in a statement. https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/4221-1
(Information from Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle; additional information from Doina Chiacu, Doina Chiacu, David Brunnstrom, Nathan Layne, David Shepardson and Diane Bartz; written by Patricia Zengerle and Phil Stewart; edited by Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
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