US Capitol complex evacuated as cautionary step against potential air threat, says police

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) on Thursday said that the US Capitol complex was evacuated by authorities as a cautionary step against a potential air threat.

"The United States Capitol Police must make split-second decisions that could make the difference between life and death. The decision to evacuate the campus is not one we take lightly," said an official statement released by the USCP.

Noting that the last time an evacuation was done due to a potential air threat in June 2014, the USCP said that it is made aware of hundreds of authorized flights in the restricted airspace every week and it was extremely unusual not to be made aware of a flight in advance.

"As soon as it was determined that we were not given advanced notice of an approved flight, our officers followed USCP policies and procedures and immediately led everyone safely out of the Congressional buildings. Seconds matter," said the statement.

Notably, this comes after the US Capitol complex was evacuated by authorities due to the activity of a nearby aircraft on Wednesday.

Capitol Police initially issued the evacuation order at 6.32 pm on Wednesday evening (local time) in an alert saying that law enforcement was "tracking an aircraft that poses a probable threat to the Capitol Complex."

According to the police, the single-engine airplane was later determined to be a military flight by the Golden Knights Parachute Team for Military Appreciation night at Nationals Park.

( With inputs from ANI )