Supporters of President Donald Trump set off a fire extinguisher after breaching security defenses, as police move in on the demonstrate on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate, in Washington, January 6, 2021.
Mike Theiler | Reuters
The FBI said it had dispatched with two suspicious devices that were uncovered in Washington after reports of improvised explosives on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during Wednesday’s rioting.
“Two suspected explosive devices were rendered safe by the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” a spokesperson for the bureau said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Rioters flooded the streets of Washington and invaded the Capitol to protest the defeat of President Donald Trump by President-elect Joe Biden in November’s election.
The New York Times, citing three unnamed people who were briefed, reported earlier that an explosive device was found at the Republican National Committee headquarters and that the nearby Democratic National Committee headquarters was evacuated.
A spokesperson for the GOP said that RNC staff members were safely evacuated and that the device was detonated by a bomb squad.
Law enforcement was in the process of destroying improvised explosives on Wednesday afternoon, NBC News reported, but authorities were unsure if the devices were functional. One device resembled a pipe bomb.
Vice President Mike Pence and other senior elected leaders were rushed to safety and the Capitol complex was locked down after protesters broke past police and stormed the building.
Several law enforcement officials told NBC News on Wednesday evening that a woman who was shot in the building had died. At least five people were transported to a hospital, according to District of Columbia Fire and EMS.
Biden said in an address later in the day that democracy was under “unprecedented assault.”
“It must end now. I call this mob to pull back and allow this work of democracy to go forward,” Biden said.
Lawmakers were meeting to formally announce Biden’s victory over Trump in the Electoral College, which has already certified Biden’s win.
Trump has stoked false rumors of widespread voter fraud and encouraged his supporters to protest the result. After rioting broke out, the president urged his supporters to be peaceful even as he continued to baselessly claim that the election was stolen.
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