US Capitol locked down due to violent protests
Police say a suspicious package was also found.
It's reported violent Trump protesters have stormed Capitol building amid protests.
The building is now in lockdown because of an 'external security threat', inlcuding a bomb scare, while American Press reports US Vice President Mike Pence and President Pro Tempore of the Senate have been taken to a secure location.
The skirmishes occurred outside in the very spot where president-elect Biden will be inaugurated in just two weeks.
Protesters, many of whom appear to be armed, tore down metal barricades at the bottom of the Capitol's steps and were met by officers in riot gear.
Some tried to push past the officers who held shields and officers could be seen firing pepper spray into the crowd to keep them back.
Some in the crowd were shouting "traitors'' as officers tried to keep them back.
A suspicious package was also reported in the area, Capitol Police said.
The roitous behaviour came just shortly after President Trump addressed thousands of his supporters, riling up the crowd with his baseless claims of election fraud at a rally near the White House on Wednesday ahead of Congress' vote.
"We will not let them silence your voices,'' Trump told the protesters, who had lined up before sunrise to get a prime position to hear the president.