The United States Capitol Police arrested a man with a long gun near the Capitol and Senate office buildings on Tuesday afternoon, putting Congress and the Capitol complex on high alert.
The rifle the man was carrying was similar in appearance to an AR-15, police said.
After the arrest, the agency said its officers had “no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat” but that officers were continuing to investigate the incident. The agency provided no further information about the man taken into custody. He was arrested in Upper Senate Park, between Union Station and the Senate side of the Capitol.
“We just searched the area in the park that we secured,” the Capitol Police wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that “out of an abundance of caution,” they would search the man’s belongings.
The police asked lawmakers and staff members to avoid the area.
Officers closed parts of three roads near the Capitol while they investigated. After about two hours, they had reopened the area.
“This afternoon, it was reported that the U.S. Capitol Police arrested a suspect who was heavily armed on the Capitol complex,” said Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader. “As we await more information, the safety of our members and of our staff remains of paramount importance. Weapons of war have no place on our streets, and I am grateful to the brave members of the U.S.C.P. who acted swiftly to apprehend the suspect and protect the Capitol Hill community.”
Many in the Capitol have been on edge amid heightened intimidation and threats. In August, police evacuated Senate office buildings after a report of an active shooter that the police chief later suggested was the result of “a bogus call.”
During the race to choose a new House speaker, members reported facing death threats, and the violence of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the complex is still fresh in the minds of many who work there.
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