Senators and staff in the Russell Senate Office Building are “sheltering in place” in the Russell parking garage after Capitol police have found a “suspicious powder” in the Russell Senate Office Building attic, according to WAMU. The first of two tests on the substance returned toxic, but the second did not. Capitol police are conducting a third test, the results of which are expected in half an hour. More than 200 people are reportedly inside the building. DCist will provide updates in this post as they become available.
8:20 p.m.: CNN is reporting Senators Burr, Gregg, Thune, Dodd, Hegel and three other Senators, as well as over 200 staff, are holed up in the Russell parking garage. You can find their link here. WTOP also has a story up. There are also conflicting reports as to whether tests have actually been done on the substance.
Reports say an alarm designed to detect chemical agents sounded at around 7 p.m. Those who are being sheltered have not exhibited any signs of exposure to either chemical or biological agents.
8:38 p.m.: According to US Capitol Police (USCP), a nerve agent alarm sounded at 6:30 p.m. They have conflicting results on preliminary tests, thus far, but are taking the material to a central testing facility. US Capitol Police have said about “a dozen” Senators are in the garage. USCP says HazMat teams have set up decontamination tents adjacent to the Russell Senate Office Building, but this is a precautionary measure for any situation involving an unknown agent.
8:46 p.m.: CNN has dressed up for the affair! Correspondent Ed Henry comes on air in a tuxedo to relay to us that there are two tubes of the substance, but that no threat was associated with the incident. He lets us know that Senator Sessions–also tuxedoed–is in the garage as well.
9:02 p.m.: CNN reports that a D.C. Fire Department officer has said he or she is confident there is no agent present. At this point, the Senators and staffers will be too late to catch Lost which, thankfully, will be the tragedy of the evening. DCist gives props to CNN for their liberal use of Google Earth, as we *heart* maps. We are disappointed, however, that we didn’t get any on-the-ground action from Anderson Cooper.
DCist now returns to our chosen “nerve agent” of the evening: Dogfish Head 90-Minute Imperial IPA. Yum.
