A man in a pickup truck was threatening to set off a bomb on Washington’s Capitol Hill Thursday, triggering evacuations and a massive police response — months after the site was targeted in a deadly insurrection.
Much of the complex was cordoned off as police and FBI agents negotiated with the driver — who drove his truck onto the sidewalk near the Capitol building and Library of Congress — and searched for possible explosives.
“This is an active bomb threat investigation,” tweeted the US Capitol Police.
“The driver of the truck told the responding officer on the scene that he had a bomb and what appeared, the officer said, appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand,” Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told reporters.
A man appearing to be the suspect took to Facebook Live to stream a series of incoherent threats — and ask to speak to President Joe Biden.
“I’m trying to get Joe Biden on the phone. I’m parked up here on the sidewalk right beside all this pretty stuff,” said the bald-headed man with a salt-and-pepper goatee, wearing a white T-shirt and identified on the Facebook page as Ray Roseberry.
“I’m not hurting nobody Joe. I’m not pulling the trigger on this thing. I can’t,” he said. “I’m telling you, them snipers come in, they start shooting this window out, this bomb’s going off.”
While he did not claim a political affiliation, he referred at one point to “the revolution” and said: “I’m looking for all my other patriots to come out and help me.”
Later he lashed out at Biden’s party, saying: “You all know what you’re doing, Democrats? You’re killing America.”
Facebook’s policy communications director Andy Stone said the profile in question had been removed and the incident was being investigated.
Manger told reporters that law enforcement were “in communication with the suspect,” with the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisting.
“We’re trying to get as much information as we can to find a way to peacefully resolve this,” the police chief added, declining to identify the suspect or provide details about him.
“We don’t know what his motives are,” Manger added.
While it remained unclear whether the bomb threat was genuine, the Library of Congress’s main buildings were evacuated, as was the nearby US Supreme Court and at least one of the three House office buildings.
The nearby Republican National Committee headquarters was also reportedly evacuated and the Washington Metro’s Capitol South subway station closed as a precaution.
A White House official said staff in the executive mansion were monitoring the situation and receiving updates from law enforcement.
– ‘Growing risk’ –
Both the Senate and House of Representatives are currently on recess, but some lawmakers have remained in Washington and staffers are working in the complex.
“My staff and our building near the vehicle have been safely evacuated but please keep the Capitol Police, FBI, and (Washington police) in your prayers as they address this serious threat,” congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi tweeted.
While congressman Dean Phillips said everyone in his office was safe, he noted that “once again, America is forced to confront the growing risk posed by domestic terrorists.”
Tensions remain high on Capitol Hill more than seven months after the deadly January 6 insurrection, when supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol, fought with police and sought to block certification of the presidential election.
In April a man rammed a car into barriers at the Capitol, killing one police officer before the attacker was shot and killed.
The January uprising prompted authorities to erect a ring of steel in the form of tall metal fencing and razor wire around the Capitol complex.
The fencing — one of the last physical reminders of the attack — only came down in July.
