Law enforcement officials were negotiating with a man who said he had a bomb in his pick-up truck near the US Capitol on Thursday, causing nearby buildings to be evacuated as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene about a mile from the White House.
Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger told reporters that the man parked his vehicle on a sidewalk outside the US Library of Congress and told an officer who approached him that he had a bomb while holding what appeared to be a detonator.
Police do not know the man's motive, he said.
"My negotiators are hard at work trying to have a peaceful resolution to this incident," Manger said at a press conference.
A video livestreamed on Facebook appeared to show a man speaking inside a truck parked on a sidewalk outside of what looked like the Library of Congress.
"The revolution's on, it's here," the man said. "I'm trying to get (US President) Joe Biden on the phone."
Police did not say whether the video was made by the suspect.
A US law enforcement source said the presence of explosives had not been confirmed.
The man is now in custody, law enforcement said on Thursday.
Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including the US Supreme Court. People in the Madison office building were told to bar themselves in their offices. A nearby subway station was closed.
Police blocked off roads surrounding the Capitol complex as fire and rescue trucks headed to the area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was sending a bomb technician to support police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also responded.
The ordinarily crowded Capitol Hill area was relatively deserted, with the US House of Representatives and Senate out of session.
High-security fencing was erected in the area after the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, but it had been removed by mid-July.
US Capitol Police on Thursday said they have identified the suspect claiming to have placed a bomb near the US Capitol, adding that they do not know the suspect's motives and that negotiations are ongoing.
Law enforcement officials surrounded a man with possible explosives sitting in a vehicle near the US Capitol on Thursday, as nearby buildings were evacuated and emergency vehicles rushed to the scene about a mile from the White House.
"This is an active bomb threat investigation," the US Capitol Police said on Twitter.
NOW: The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress. Please stay away from this area and follow this account for the latest information. pic.twitter.com/LMBYBTJn4t
— US Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) August 19, 2021
The man was in a vehicle outside the Library of Congress, across the street from the Capitol, a US law enforcement source said.
The law enforcement source said the presence of explosives had not been confirmed.
But people in Congress were notified that the vehicle's occupant had said that he possessed a bomb and that authorities were crafting their responses with that threat in mind, an official told Reuters.
Several nearby buildings were evacuated, including the US Supreme Court. People in the Madison office building were told to bar themselves in their offices. A nearby subway station was closed.
UNITED STATES: A man demanding Joe Biden steps down as President in claiming to have a bomb in his truck near the capitol building in Washington DC. He was previously live streaming on Facebook.
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) August 19, 2021
Police blocked off roads surrounding the Capitol complex as fire and rescue trucks headed to the area. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was sending a bomb technician to support police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also responded.
The ordinarily crowded Capitol Hill area was relatively deserted, with the US House of Representatives and Senate out of session.
"The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress," the Capitol Police wrote on Twitter. "Please stay away from this area."