The Capitol is evacuated due to aerial threat. What happened?
A nearby aircraft “posed [a] probable threat” but the situation has been resolved as a misunderstanding.
An evacuation order from Capitol Police in Washington DC was quickly realised to be a mistake as the aerial threat that was noticed was actually a parachute team participating in a demonstration at a Washington Nationals baseball game. The sports team had not notified police about the stunt.
“The Capitol was evacuated out of an abundance of caution this evening,” according to a statement from the agency on 20 April. “There is no threat at the Capitol.”
The Capitol was evacuated out of an abundance of caution this evening.
— U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) April 20, 2022
There is no threat at the Capitol.
More details to come. pic.twitter.com/7qqxqQyzlD
It is no surprise that police at the Capitol may be jumpy. Just over a year ago on January 6, supporters of then-US President Donald Trump assaulted and gained access to the Capitol building complex.
The aircraft took off around 18:00 local time with the evacuation order declared at 18:32. The order said the Capitol Police were “tracking an aircraft that poses a probable threat to the Capitol Complex.”
Why did the stunt take place?
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April 20th is National Military Appreciation Day in the US. The local baseball team, the Washington Nationals, were playing host to army parachutists to celebrate before the game.
HERE THEY COME @Nationals FANS!! pic.twitter.com/F64drmj1Zx
— Olivia Garvey (@Olivia7News) April 20, 2022
It took just 13 minutes for police to realise their mistake. Congress is on recess this week, meaning few politicians were at the Capitol at the time, though staffers and workers in the complex would be.