Possible presence of explosives in a vehicle near Capitol Hill

A possible explosive device was reported in a van near the Capitol in Washington. Police are asking to avoid the area around the Library of Congress.

Possible presence of explosive in a vehicle near Capitol Hill

A dramatic crash would have been averted in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 19. Police intervened around a vehicle suspected of containing explosives near the Capitol, the seat of the U.S. Congress.

“This is a bomb threat investigation,” Capitol Police said mid-morning, after indicating they were investigating a “suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress.” Congress is not in session during this week of parliamentary recess, but employees frequent the Capitol grounds every day.

Police are “sending negotiators to talk to a man in a truck making this threat,” CNN said, citing a police source. Police have not yet confirmed this latest information.

Several office buildings of the Library and Congress were evacuated and in others, those present were ordered to stay away from doors and windows, according to U.S. journalists on the scene.

The Republican Party headquarters , which is a few hundred meters away, was also evacuated, according to a Washington Post reporter citing an anonymous source.

The Capitol grounds have been under tight security since the deadly assault carried out on Jan. 6 by supporters of Donald Trump.

On April 2, one police officer was killed and another injured when a young man threw his car into a checkpoint guarding the entrance before being shot.

A possible explosive device was reported in a van near the Capitol in Washington. Police are asking to avoid the area around the Library of Congress.