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- At the United States Capitol in Washington, two police officers were run over by a car that hit a barrier.
- One of the officers was killed and another was injured, as Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said at a press conference Friday night (CET).
- The driver who got out of the car with a knife was shot. Previously, he had not responded to warning calls from security forces.
- Immediately after the incident, the Capitol was cordoned off,
The police and the National Guard walked around the headquarters of Congress in
Position.
Washington Police Chief Robert Contee said that based on initial findings, the act did not appear to have a terrorist background. The suspect who was shot by police officers after the attack was not known to police and the man’s motive was unclear.
The Reuters news agency and CNN reported the events. The incident occurred at the so-called north barricade of the United States Capitol. Video footage shows a blue car on a barricade. The background is still unclear.
Memories of storming the Capitol
Since then, the United States Congress has been isolated due to the incident, as the American media unanimously reported. However, Congress did not have a session on Friday, so there are hardly any senators or deputies in the complex. President Joe Biden was at his mansion in Camp David, Maryland.
Legend:
Police are investigating the damaged vehicle that crashed into a barricade in front of the Capitol in Washington.
Keystone
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, ordered that the American flag be hoisted at half mast on Capitol Hill in honor of the deceased police officer. This is announced by Drew Hammill, Pelosis’ deputy chief of staff, on Twitter.
The incident occurred just under three months after supporters of former US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol by force. At least five people were killed in the riots, including a police officer.
Due to the unprecedented attack, the building is heavily guarded. Last week, however, security precautions around the congress venue were lowered somewhat. An exterior fence protecting the area around the congress center was dismantled. The streets that were within this circle and that were cordoned off were reopened.
“It’s really sad because I believed that once the barriers were removed, we would return to a certain normality. But that just shows how high the risk is, “Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna told CNN news channel. Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote on Twitter that he was praying for the injured police officer.
