The man was tracked down and taken into custody four minutes after officers spotted the gun (File)
Washington:
A Congressman carrying a gun was allowed to move freely inside the US Capitol complex for several minutes on Thursday, even as an X-ray machine at a security checkpoint picked up the weapon in his bag.
The 57-year-old told police that he had left the pistol in his bag by accident, but the incident raised serious questions about security in the seat of American democracy, nearly a year after the deadly January 6 uprising.
A House of Representatives worker was waved through security in the Longworth office block across the street, accompanied by several dignitaries, including President Joe Biden, in the Capitol rotunda for Republican politician Bob Dole’s memorial.
The man, identified as Jeffrey Allbrooks, was tracked down and detained four minutes after officers noticed the gun – a delay equivalent to the normal duration of mass shootings in the United States.
US Capitol Police issued a statement confirming that officers “saw an image of a handgun in a bag on an X-ray screen” after the employee passed away despite security.
But the force did not say how long it was in the building before the breach was discovered, and did not respond to a request for confirmation of media reports that the gun was loaded.
“Allsbruck told our officers that he forgot the gun was in the bag. We are accusing him of possessing an unlicensed pistol,” the statement said.
“The matter is under investigation and the department is probing what happened before, during and after those four minutes.”
lockdown
The agency sent out an alert just before 8:00 a.m. notifying Longworth’s employees of a security hazard and asking them to lock themselves in the nearest office and stay away from all doors and windows, or ” Look for cover in a public place.”
Employees were prevented from entering or leaving the building during the lockdown, which was removed after a few minutes.
The arrests coincided with preparations to pay tribute to Biden’s former Republican senator and presidential candidate Dole, who is lying stateside at the Capitol.
Police have been on high alert ever since thousands of supporters of defeated President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on January 6 to reverse Biden’s election victory, killing one of his officers and injuring several others.
Security was tested again on April 2 when a man rammed a car into police at a barricade outside the campus, injuring an officer.
And government offices were evacuated when a motorist stopped his pickup truck in August outside the Library of Congress across the street from Congress, saying it had explosives.
A month later Capitol police arrested a man in his truck near the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the same area, who had several knives, including a knife.
Allsbruck did not respond to a request for comment.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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