Police emptied the headquarters of the US Congress on Wednesday after deeming a harmless plane taking part in a sporting event a threat. Article written by Published on 04/21/2022 07:38 Updated on 04/21/2022 07:51 Reading time: 1 min. Did she believe in an airborne invasion of the Capitol? US police evacuated the headquarters of the US Congress in Washington on Wednesday, April 20, after considering a harmless plane participating in a sporting event a threat. “Evacuate the United States Capitol”: a disturbing alert reported a potential air threat at around 6:30 p.m., before being lifted less than twenty minutes later. The police, who justified the evacuation by a “precautionary concern”, promised “more information to come”. More than two hours after the initial warning, they had still not provided an official reason. A simple and embarrassing communication problem seems to be the cause of the false alarm. The reported threat was actually just US Army paratroopers, dropped from a plane to take part in a pre-game show at a baseball stadium, less than 2 miles from the Capitol. “The fact that the US Aviation Authority apparently failed to notify Capitol Police of the planned Nationals Stadium overflight is outrageous and inexcusable,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. scathing statement. “The unnecessary panic caused by this apparent negligence has been particularly damaging to elected officials, staff and institutional employees, still scarred by the trauma of the attack on their workplace on January 6,” she continued, making reference to the storming of the Capitol in early 2021 by supporters of Donald Trump. Although brief, the alert was immediately shared by the American media, in a country still deeply marked by the memory of the attacks of September 11, 2001. The number of people present on Wednesday in the precincts of the Capitol was probably limited, the Senate and the House of Representatives not being in session. Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share by email Share link