Four people have died after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday in an attempt to overturn the results of the US election as Congress met to certify Joe Biden's win. A woman among the protesters was shot inside the Capitol during the protest and died, police said. Three other people died after suffering "medical emergencies" related to the breach, said Robert Contee, chief of the city's Metropolitan Police Department. Lawmakers had been forced to flee the building and the Congressional session did not resume until some six hours after the protesters entered the building. The protesters had dispersed by the evening as police used tear gas and percussion grenades to clear the grounds of the US Capitol. The mayor of Washington DC issued a 6:00 p.m. curfew in the city. The protesters had been at a rally in the city earlier in the day where they were egged on by President Donald Trump who urged supporters to march to the Capitol. The US president has spent weeks claiming the election was fraudulent and being stolen by Democrats despite providing no evidence to support his claims. Now, Twitter and Facebook have temporarily blocked the US president after he continued to post false accusations about the election amid the violence. When Congress reconvened its session, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said lawmakers would "not be intimidated" and called the event a "failed insurrection". "Our democracy is under unprecedented assault," said President-elect Joe Biden earlier on Wednesday as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol. "I call on this mob to pull back and allow democracy to go forward,'' the president-elect said. He also urged Trump to "go on national television now'' and ''demand an end to the siege.'' Shortly after Biden's speech, Trump released a video message calling supporters to "go home and go home in peace," while repeating false claims that the election was "stolen" from him. Lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices as clashes erupted. Demonstrators fought with Capitol Police and then forced their way into the building. Clashes followed a massive rally near the White House during which Trump egged them on to march to Capitol Hill. But as tensions mounted at the capitol, Trump tweeted to supporters to "stay peaceful". The White House said National Guard troops along with other federal protective services were deployed to help end the occupation. A citywide curfew was called for in Washington DC shortly after dusk, as rioters continued to occupy the seat of Congress for hours. The district's police chief said at least 13 people were arrested, and five firearms had been recovered during the pro-Trump protests on Wednesday. "What we are witnessing is an attempted coup directly incited by the criminal in the White House. It will fail," tweeted Democratic lawmaker William Pascrell. — Euronews
