Washington, USA | One policeman was killed and another was injured outside the Capitol in Washington.
Police said the attack did not appear to be linked to “terrorism.”
Elected representatives of Congress are in Parliament this week, but these events were attended by members of their teams, congressional staff, the media and the police.
The January 6 attack, led by pro-Trump protesters, has further shocked all of this congressional discipline, which has killed five people, including a Capitol policeman.
Armed with gloves, soldiers from the National Guard quickly took positions around the whitewashed white building on Friday and near police checkpoints blocking the road. They were sent to Washington after the January attack.
On a large avenue very close to the Capitol, a blue vehicle was crushed against a police ban.
“The suspect hit two of our agents with his car,” said Yogananda Bitman, chief of the Capitol Police in Washington, before hitting a barricade.
“At that moment, the suspect got out of the vehicle with a knife in his hand” and “started walking towards the officers”, “shot” him.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he was “devastated” after the attack.
“Jill and I were devastated to learn of the violent attack on a security checkpoint in the United States Capitol,” he said in a statement, half-ordering White House flags.
“Very difficult”
He said one of the two injured police officers was “dead” and his voice was broken during a press conference.
This was William Evans, who had served in the Capitol Police for 18 years, he later revealed in a statement.
Police said the suspect died at 1:30 p.m.
“The Capitol Police are going through a very difficult time after the events of January 6 and the events that took place here today,” said Yogananda Pitman.
In the afternoon, police raised the alarm while maintaining a security curve around the “crime scene”.
“The investigation is ongoing,” police said.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, ordered the lowering of the flags following the “tragic and heroic death” of William Evans, whom he called “a martyr for our democracy.”
“Today, again, these heroes have risked their lives to defend the Capitol and our country, with the same commitment and willingness to serve as we saw on January 6,” he continued in a statement.
“My heart is broken for the agent who was killed today and his family while defending our capital,” said Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate.
“We are better than that”
The walls of the Capitol were placed under the highest security after the January 6 attacks.
Some barriers have recently been lifted, and security around the US Congress seat has been tightened.
The events took place near a checkpoint on the Senate side, where members of parliament enter while Congress is in session.
“I drive through this crossroads and congratulate the officers who defend it almost every day when I am in Washington,” Angie Craig, a Democrat elected to the House of Representatives, tweeted. “America, we are better than this. ”
Thousands of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Congress seat on January 6, with elected officials confirming the victory of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in the presidential election.
Five people have been killed in the attack, and more than 300 people have been arrested in connection with the attack.
U.S. officials are accused of spraying a chemical substance on March 15. Capitol policeman Brian Signick, who died after the violent attack, has not been described.
The policeman, 42, died at the hospital the next day.
Former President Donald Trump, who was accused by the House of Representatives of “inciting rebellion”, was released by the Senate in February after a rigorous trial.