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US Capitol: Parachute demo sparks security scare, evacuation

April 21, 2022

Capitol Police told staff to evacuate on Wednesday evening, citing an "aircraft that poses a probable threat." The flight, it later transpired, was routine. Politicians were quick to lambast the communication breakdown.

https://p.dw.com/p/4AAgo
A view of US Capitol building during sunset in Washington, D.C., United States, on January 19, 2021.
Politicians demanded answers after an apparent communication breakdown led to an evacuation order warning of a probable threat from a planeImage: Tayfun Coskun/AA/picture alliance

The United States Capitol was briefly evacuated on Wednesday after aircraft from the US Army’s Golden Knights parachute demonstration team sparked a security scare during a performance at the nearby Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

Capitol Police alerted congressional staffers to a "probable threat," which led to a clearing of the Capitol and legislative building around 6:30 p.m. local time.

The plane was later determined to be a military aircraft carrying members of the Golden Knights parachute demonstration team, who then parachuted into the Washington Nationals' baseball stadium, Nationals Park, a little over a mile away from the US Capitol.

The single-engine plane was reported to be circling around the city after taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

The panic that ensued highlighted a failure of communication between the military, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Capitol Police. This comes as Washington attempts to step up security after last year's January 6 attack on the building by supporters of the then-President Donald Trump.

Speaker Pelosi lambasts authorities

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the FAA in a statement late Wednesday night, saying its "apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover of Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable." 

"Congress looks forward to reviewing the results of a thorough after-action review that determines what precisely went wrong today and who at the Federal Aviation Administration will be held accountable for this outrageous and frightening mistake," Pelosi said.

Plane and parachutists at baseball game spark security scare at U.S. Capitol
US Army Golden Knights parachute team perform over the Nationals Park baseball stadiumImage: @dcgrasstracker /REUTERS

Multiple reports said investigators were working to determine why the event took palace without proper coordination between law enforcement officials in Washington.

Kelli LeGaspi, a spokeswoman for the US Army Recruiting Command, said in a statement, "We are reviewing all aspects of the event to ensure all procedures were followed appropriately to coordinate both the flight and the parachute demonstration."

The US’ capital region is defended by surface-to-air missile sites and military aircrews on round-the-clock alert. However, it did not appear that any of those systems were scrambled.

Buildings in the US Capitol complex were reopened soon after 8 p.m. Police issued an all-clear moments after the initial evacuation order sent to staffers started leaking out into the public.

see/msh (Reuters, AP)