The United States Capitol crime (USCP) locked down or evacuated portions of the Capitol on Thursday morning to respond to reports of a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress in washington-dc” target=”_blank”>Washington, D.C.< an “active bomb threat investigation.” A House Republican communications director on the scene confirmed to Fox News that Capitol Police have warned them about a man in the area of Independence Avenue and First Street who is “claiming to have explosives in his truck.”
According to the source, law enforcement have sent a negotiator to the area. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are responding.
During a midday press briefing, USCP Chief Thomas Manger said police received a report around 9:15 a.m. of a man in a black pickup truck who drove onto the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress. Police responded to a call for a disturbance, he said.
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A pickup truck is parked on the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building, as seen from a window of the U.S. Capitol, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) ( )
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In this image taken through a window law enforcement officials surround an area near the U.S. Capitol and a Library of Congress building in Washington on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, as they investigate a report of a pickup truck containing an explosive device. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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A Metropolitan Police Department cruiser blocks a street near the U.S. Capitol and a Library of Congress building in Washington on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, as law enforcement officials investigate a report of a pickup truck containing an explosive device. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
“The driver of the truck told the responding officer on the scene that he had a bomb. And what appeared, the officer said, appeared to be a detonator in the man’s hand,” Manger said. “We immediately evacuated the nearby buildings.”
Manger said law enforcement was in communication with the suspect but did not yet know his motive. He did not answer a question regarding a live stream posted by an alleged suspect. The man’s name was not immediately disclosed.
Police negotiators were communicating with him as he wrote notes and showed them to authorities from inside the truck, according to The Associated Press, which spoke to three people who were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
“My negotiators are hard at work trying to have a peaceful resolution to this incident,” Manger said. “We’re trying to get as much information as we can to find a way to peacefully resolve this.”
The USCP announced the suspicious activity on its Twitter page just after 9:40 a.m. local time and urged people to stay away from the area. Police are investigating reports of a possible explosive inside a truck in the area.
Associated Press reporter Mike Balsamo tweeted that investigators “are trying to determine whether the suspicious device in the pickup truck is an operable explosive and whether the man in the truck was holding a detonator.”
Aaron Fritschner, communications director for Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., shared on Twitter screenshots of message alerts he had received from the police agency. One message sent at 9:53 a.m. states, “Madison: Internal Security Threat: move inside office/lock doors, seek cover, and remain silent.”
A subsequent message said: “Jefferson: EVACUATE. Proceed to your designated assembly area. DO NOT exit out of the west side (First Street) of the building.”
Other areas in the region have also been ordered to evacuate to neighboring buildings, Fox News has learned, but the entire Capitol is not currently locked down. The city’s Metropolitan Police Department is canvassing certain nearby neighborhoods asking residents to evacuate, the department said.
Police have said the investigation is ongoing. Meanwhile, many lawmakers are out of the area for their August recess.
Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Kelly Phares contributed to this report, as well as The Associated Press.
This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
