The US Capitol Police announced that the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters in Washington, D.C. was locked down on Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing two bottles of blood was received. The Capitol Police confirmed receiving a report early Wednesday morning regarding the suspicious package at the RNC headquarters, prompting the evacuation of staff members at around 7:45 a.m.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Capitol Police stated, “At approximately 7:45 a.m., the United States Capitol Police responded to the report of a suspicious package at the 300 block of First Street SE. Our Hazardous Incident Response Division just cleared the package. It contained two bottles of blood. The origin and contents of the package will be further investigated.”
During the investigation, authorities locked down the RNC headquarters building at the 300 block of First Street SE and restricted pedestrian access to the surrounding area. The lockdown was lifted around 9:40 a.m. after the Hazardous Incident Response Team entered the RNC headquarters building.
The Washington D.C. Metro Police and the D.C. Fire and Emergency Management Services confirmed that they assisted with the Capitol Police investigation. It remains unclear whether the authorities have identified any suspects or made any arrests.
The RNC headquarters is located across the street from the United States House of Representatives office building. There have been no reports of casualties.
In the past, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters has also been targeted. On January 5, 2021, pipe bombs were sent to both the DNC headquarters and the RNC headquarters in Washington D.C. Vice President Kamala Harris was evacuated from the DNC headquarters at that time. This incident occurred on January 6, 2021, on the eve of the attack on the U.S. Capitol building, but no one was arrested in connection with it.