Officer killed after car rams police at Capitol

A police officer was killed after a suspect rammed his car into two officers and lunged at officers with a knife before being shot at the US Capitol. The Capitol remains in total lockdown and no one is being allowed in or out of the iconic complex.

Washington DC (US): U.S. Capitol Police say an officer has died after a suspect rammed his car into two officers and lunged at officers with a knife before being shot.

The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol as Congress is on recess.

It comes as the Washington region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.

The Capitol remains in total lockdown and no one is being allowed in or out of the iconic complex.

Authorities said that there wasn't an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism. There was also no immediate connection apparent between Friday's crash and the Jan. 6 riot.

"It does not appear to be terrorism-related, but obviously we'll continue to investigate to see if there's some type of nexus along those lines," Robert Contee, chief of Metropolitan Police Department said.

The incident comes months after the January 6 riots that broke out when Trump's supporters had stormed the US Capitol to protest against the legislators confirming the electoral slates from battleground US states which were thought to be invalid.

(AP)