Police engages in 'active bomb threat investigation' near US Capitol building

WASHINGTON: The United States Capitol Police (USCP) engaged in an explosives threat investigation involving a suspicious vehicle parked near the US Capitol building and Library of Congress, said police Thursday.

The police, suspecting the potential presence of explosives, told the people present in the surroundings to immediately leave the area.

A Twitter post by the USCP said,"The USCP is responding to a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress."

"This is an active bomb threat investigation," read the post.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has also joined the probe.

US media reported that a man in a pickup truck made the bomb threat, adding that law enforcement personnel and the FBI have dispatched negotiators to try to engage the suspect.

According to the reports, the Library of Congress' main building, having a Senate office building, has been evacuated.

The nearby Republican National Committee headquarters was also reportedly evacuated.

Both Senate and House of Representatives are currently on recess, but staffers are still working in the Capitol complex.

Tensions have remained high on Capitol Hill more than seven months after the deadly January 6 insurrection, when supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol, fought with police, and sought to block certification of the presidential election.

In April, a man rammed a car into barriers at the US Capitol, killing one Capitol Police officer before being shot and killed.