Capitol Police negotiating with man seen with possible detonator near Capitol

Capitol Police have evacuated the Cannon House Office Building, the Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building and other buildings nearby as they investigate an “active bomb threat” near the Capitol building. 

Streets have been blocked off as police negotiate with a suspect in a black pickup truck that was driven “onto the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress” around 9:15 a.m.

“The driver of the truck told the responding officer on the scene that he had a bomb and what the officer said appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand,” Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said during a brief press conference. 

Manger said the department immediately evacuated the nearby buildings as a result. Though the House and Senate are currently in recess, Manger noted “there’s still people working throughout some of the buildings that were nearby this location.”

A spokesperson for the Supreme Court, which remains closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, said the court building was also evacuated shortly after 10 a.m. 

The suspect is male, but police have not released the man’s identity or discussed a motive.

“We don’t know a whole lot. We do have a possible name, an identity of the suspect, but we don’t have much information at all about him at this time. We’re going to give periodic updates,” Manger said.

He added that negotiations with the man remain ongoing.

“My negotiators are hard at work trying to have a peaceful resolution to this incident,” he said.

A law enforcement official told CNN that the suspect had posted video on social media. Multiple outlets including CNN and Reuters reported that a man was seen in video talking about “revolution” while appearing to hold a metal canister.

A spokesman for Facebook confirmed that the company had deactivated a livestream and removed the individual’s profile as it investigates. 

The incident is just the latest tense moment on Capitol Hill following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building by a mob of former President Trump’s supporters. Four Capitol Police officers have died by suicide — deaths that have been linked to the attack — and another officer died the day after the attack.

In May, another Capitol Police officer was killed when a man rammed his car into a barricade outside the building. The man who drove that car was shot and killed after he left his vehicle and lunged at an officer with a knife.

USCP just ordered evacuation of Cannon House Office Building, this is not good pic.twitter.com/D8ZnSAos06

— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) August 19, 2021

We got alerts to evacuate the Jefferson building and shelter in place if you’re in Madison. https://t.co/UQ0z9EZXei

— Sharon Eliza Nichols (@SharonsSpeaking) August 19, 2021

Traffic officials sent out alerts about closures on parts of Independence Avenue, Constitution Avenue and East Capitol Street.

The FBI Washington Field Office also disclosed on Twitter that its National Capital Response Squad is responding to the incident near the Library of Congress along with Capitol Police and its other partners.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s National Capital Response Squad is responding with our partners, including @CapitolPolice, to reports of a suspicious vehicle and bomb threat near the Library of Congress.

— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) August 19, 2021

— John Kruzel contributed to this report, which was updated at 1:50 p.m.