The US Capitol was briefly evacuated after a false alarm saw police tracking an aircraft they said was a “probable threat”, but reportedly turned out to be carrying parachutists as part of a baseball pregame show.

Police, tasked with the responsibility of protecting the complex at the heart of the US Government in Washington, issued an initial statement, stating that they ordered an evacuation as they were “tracking an aircraft that poses a probable threat.” But, they did not give further details of the threat.

The news became a top headline within minutes in the United States, where the memories of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which saw Al-Qaeda fly passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. But the Police swiftly issued a second statement to say the order was given “out of an abundance of caution” and that there is “no threat” to the complex. In an update from the US Capitol Police, it noted that “The aircraft no longer poses a threat to the Capitol Complex and the USCP is now preparing buildings for reentry”.

Reports also suggested that neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate, the Chambers of Congress that are located in the Capitol, were in session at the time of the scare. There was no immediate explanation for the order, but unverified reports suggested it came after a parachute display at the nearby Washington Nationals Park, a baseball stadium, which was part of a pregame show for “Military Appreciation Night.”

According to a news agency’s correspondent, Garrett Haake, in a tweet noted that he “Just watched some people parachute down over/near the US Capitol amid an evacuation order”. The news agency, citing police, stated that they are part of a demonstration by the Golden Knights at the stadium. The Golden Knights are the US Army’s official aerial parachute demonstration team.

“Seems they might not have told Capitol Police they’d be in the airspace. One officer here told me she saw the small plane appearing to circle before the parachuters jumped.”
Garrett Haake, News Correnspondent

The stadium is roughly 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from the Capitol. The Nationals were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday (April 20, 2022) night. The US Capitol was the focal point of an actual violent attack just 15 months ago, where on January 6 2021, supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the building in an effort to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s Presidential election victory.

Concerns Raised

Despite Wednesday’s (April 20, 2022) scare being a false alarm, lawmakers and visitors were shaken by the warning. Congresswoman, Teresa Leger Fernández, tweeted that “We just went through a very stressful 15 minutes, but we are thankful that everyone is safe”.

Two young Swiss tourists visiting Washington said they were walking towards the historic white-domed Capitol to take a tour when the Police waved them away from the structure. “They shut the security barriers behind us. They didn’t tell us why and I thought it was better not to ask,” said one of the tourists, who asked not to be named.