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In January, a crowd stormed the Congress Building on Capitol Hill in Washington. More than 50 policemen were injured, several were hospitalized and a total of five people died as a result of the storm.
On Good Friday, the congress building is closed after a new “security incident”.
Two policemen were hit 91 meters from the entrance of the Senate into Congress. Both were taken to the hospital, and one of them, Officer William Evans, died of injuries.
Timeline: this happened
It is with deep sadness that I share with you the news that Officer William ‘Billy’ Evans passed away this afternoon from injuries sustained in the attack, Congressional Police Chief Yogananda Pittman writes in a press release Friday. at night. Evans has served in the Congressional Police Force for 18 years.
Pittman says the driver got out of the car with a knife and managed to stab one of the policemen before the police shot him. The driver later died from his injuries.
PASSED AWAY: William “Billy” Evans died after the attack in front of Congress. Photo: U.S. Capitol Police
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– I knew it could happen again
Researcher from the Norwegian Research Center (Norce) and American expert Hilmar Mjelde tell Dagbladet that security around the Capitol was strengthened after the attack earlier this winter.
– There has been a great focus on the danger of new attacks since January 6, both from politicians, police and security authorities. They knew it could happen again, either in the capital or against state authorities, he says.
THE DEFENSE IN THE STREETS: Hundreds of soldiers were sent to the streets after the incident. Photo: Tom Brenner / Reuters / NTB
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Authorities began work to remove the barricades around the building earlier this week, closely monitoring the situation in recent months.
– Now there will probably be a new debate on the security offer in the capital, says Mjelde and adds:
– But there is still broad political consensus that Congress should not be protected like Baghdad’s green zone. It is symbolically important in a democracy that political institutions are fairly open to the public.
Starry: Police are investigating a blue Sudan after it ran over two police officers and crashed into one of the security barriers outside Congress. Photo: AFP / NTB
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It is not terrorism
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee emphasizes that nothing indicates that the episode is related to terror.
There was immediately a large police force at the scene, and people were asked to stay away from the area, according to an NBC reporter. Soon after, hundreds of National Guard soldiers were equipped with shields in the streets.
Congress is a public holiday this week and therefore there should be no politicians working in the building.
