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WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 — The House of Representatives shut down for more than an hour Thursday after reports of a security breach at a nearby congressional office building, later blamed on a Halloween costume and plastic gun.
U.S. CAPITOL POLICE Chief Terence Gainer said the incident resulted from “two staff members bringing in Halloween costumes.”
“I don’t think they had any ill intent,” he said.
Start to finish, the incident lasted about two hours — but it instantly triggered a massive response in an age of terrorism.
Gainer said the staff aides stopped to chat with security personnel after placing a bag on a security station X-ray belt at the entrance to the Cannon House Office Building, then went inside. Moments later, security officials noticed the image of a gun and triggered an alarm.
Gainer said the two staff aides are “very sorry this all happened,” and the security personnel had performed “well within standards.”
The preceding two hours were anything but routine as police invaded the office building, searching room by room for the suspect or suspects.
Two or three officers were quickly stationed at the underground entrances to the Capitol from each of several House office buildings. Outdoors, security barriers were raised to prevent vehicles from approaching buildings in the Capitol complex. Some officers were in SWAT gear.
After Gainer announced that the gun was a fake and just part of a costume, the bells rang in the House side of the Capitol, indicating lawmakers were being called back into session.
The incident triggered memories of a far more lethal incident on July 24, 1998, when a man with a history of mental illness rushed into the Capitol and killed two security guards. The accused shooter, Russell E. Weston Jr., is awaiting trial.
U.S. CAPITOL POLICE Chief Terence Gainer said the incident resulted from “two staff members bringing in Halloween costumes.”
“I don’t think they had any ill intent,” he said.
Start to finish, the incident lasted about two hours — but it instantly triggered a massive response in an age of terrorism.
Gainer said the staff aides stopped to chat with security personnel after placing a bag on a security station X-ray belt at the entrance to the Cannon House Office Building, then went inside. Moments later, security officials noticed the image of a gun and triggered an alarm.
Gainer said the two staff aides are “very sorry this all happened,” and the security personnel had performed “well within standards.”
The preceding two hours were anything but routine as police invaded the office building, searching room by room for the suspect or suspects.
Two or three officers were quickly stationed at the underground entrances to the Capitol from each of several House office buildings. Outdoors, security barriers were raised to prevent vehicles from approaching buildings in the Capitol complex. Some officers were in SWAT gear.
After Gainer announced that the gun was a fake and just part of a costume, the bells rang in the House side of the Capitol, indicating lawmakers were being called back into session.
The incident triggered memories of a far more lethal incident on July 24, 1998, when a man with a history of mental illness rushed into the Capitol and killed two security guards. The accused shooter, Russell E. Weston Jr., is awaiting trial.