Police clear US Capitol of Trump supporters, to enforce curfew

January 07, 2021

Source: 2021 © New Straits Times

By AFP - January 7, 2021 @ 9:44am

WASHINGTON: Police cleared the last of the supporters of President Donald Trump from the US Capitol on Wednesday after they stormed the building and disrupted the certification by Congress of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.

Members of the National Guard and the Washington D.C. police keep a small group of demonstrators away from the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. - AFP pic

US media outlets quoted the sergeants-at-arms of the House of Representatives and the Senate as saying the Capitol was now secure, about four hours after it first came under attack.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been declared by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who asked for the assistance of the National Guard to help reestablish order in the nation's capital.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump march through the streets of the city as they make their way to the Capitol Building in Washington DC. - AFP pic

The curfew went into force at 6:00 pm (0100 GMT) but thousands of Trump supporters could still be seen milling about the streets.

Police watch as protesters surround the US Capitol Building and begin to storm it after a rally in support of US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. - AFP pic

"We want everybody to move out and move out quickly," Bowser told reporters. "The curfew will be enforced."

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. - AFP pic

Police in riot gear had set up a perimeter around the Capitol building, which came under attack by Trump supporters after the president addressed a rally nearby in which he repeated his baseless claims of election fraud.--AFP