A portion of the US Capitol was closed on Thursday afternoon after reports of a suspicious package outside the building.
Capitol Police examined the package – which appears to be a duffel bag in photos posted to social media – outside the East Front of the building.
It was initially unclear if the package presented a danger to the people inside, however it was later deemed not to pose a risk to the public.
Officials were understood to have removed the bag.
Security is extremely tight around the US Capitol, the parliament building in Washington DC.
