A pipe bomb was found at Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters just blocks away from the U.S. Capitol and the nearby headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was evacuated after a suspicious package was discovered there.
The discoveries were reported by The New York Times on Wednesday afternoon as a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, a chaotic and violent scene that prompted the evacuation of lawmakers, congressional staffers, reporters and others.
According to the Times’s reporting, the pipe bomb at the RNC headquarters was destroyed by a bomb squad, while the suspicious package found at the DNC offices has not yet been identified.
The explosive found at the RNC headquarters and the evacuation of the DNC headquarters added to the chaos that unfolded as members of Congress met to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.
Thousands of Trump’s supporters gathered in Washington ahead of the joint session. Trump has repeatedly made the unproven claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged” and has demanded that Republican lawmakers and other allies push to overturn Biden’s victory.
Those tensions boiled over on Wednesday when supporters of the president broke into the Capitol. Vice President Pence, who was presiding over the joint session of Congress, was evacuated from the chamber.
The Washington, D.C., and Virginia National Guards were activated Wednesday afternoon to aid district police in quelling the unrest.