Pro-Trump supporters swarm US Capitol in attempt to overturn election results; four dead, dozens arrested

[caption id=“attachment_9179341” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  A violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers into hiding, in an attempt to overturn the presidential election. A woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol, and Washington’s mayor instituted an evening curfew in an attempt to contain the violence. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179481” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Over 150 GOP lawmakers planned to support objections to some of the election results, though lacking evidence of fraud or wrongdoing in the election. Shortly after the first GOP objections, protesters fought past police and breached the building, shouting and waving Trump and American flags as they marched through the halls. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179671” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Early on, some inside the Capitol saw the trouble coming outside the windows. Democratic Rep Dean Phillips of Minnesota surveyed the growing crowd on the grounds not long after outgoing President Donald Trump had addressed his supporters by the Ellipse, fuelling their grievances over an election that he and they say he won, against all evidence. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179531” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Lawmakers were told to duck under their seats for cover and put on gas masks after tear gas was used in the Capitol Rotunda. Some House lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices. Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., told reporters he was in the House chamber when rioters began storming it. Security officers “made us all get down, you could see that they were fending off some sort of assault, it looked like. They had a piece of furniture up against the door. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179561” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  The pro-Trump mob took over the presiding officer’s chair in the Senate, the offices of the House speaker, and the Senate dais, where one yelled, “Trump won that election.” They mocked its leaders, posing for photos in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one with his feet propped on her desk. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179571” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Heavily armed officers brought in as reinforcements started using tear gas in a coordinated effort to get people moving toward the door, then combed the halls for stragglers, pushing the mob farther out onto the plaza and lawn, while flash-bangs and percussion grenades went off. Officers were seen letting people calmly walk out the doors of the Capitol despite the rioting and vandalism. Only about a dozen arrests were made in the hours after authorities regained control. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179751” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  The rioters were egged on by Trump, who has spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s victory. Twitter suspended his account for 12 hours and said that future violations by Trump could result in a permanent suspension. The company required the removal of three of Trump’s tweets, including a short video in which he urged those supporters to “go home” while also repeating falsehoods about the integrity of the presidential election. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179791” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Authorities eventually regained control, as night fell, and Congress resumed its process of confirming Biden’s Electoral College win. The Pentagon said about 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were being mobilised to help support law enforcement at the Capitol. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9182951” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  The protestors, who had pushed through security cordons and scaled walls to enter from near the Senate chamber side, wreaked havoc before being evacuated from the US Capitol. Seen here is a ’treason’ banner lying on the floor. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9179831” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Protesters backing President Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico. Hundreds of people gathered in state capitals nationwide to oppose President-elect Joe Biden’s win, waving signs saying “Stop the steal” and “Four more years”. Some also carried guns in places like Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Washington state. Seen here are protestors in Arizona. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9182941” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  A protester shouts during a demonstration at the Capitol in Salem, Oregon. Image courtesy: AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_9182931” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Hours after the storming and the security agencies bringing normalcy to the US Capitol, the US Congress was reconvened. Vice President Mike Pence affirmed Joe Biden’s victory and said the Constitution restrains him from exercising ‘unilateral authority’ in deciding which electoral college votes should be counted. Image courtesy: AP[/caption]