United States Capitol attacks: officials appeal for balance between security and public access
- The shooting of a policeman has sparked debate over whether fencing around the campus, much of which was dismantled following the January 6 attack, should have been kept in place
- Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, the head of the Republicans’ Senate policy team, warned against ring-fencing the complex of around 20 buildings from the public
Officials in Washington appealed on Sunday for balance between securing the US Capitol and public accessibility after the second deadly attack this year targeted the seat of American democracy.
A policeman was killed and another wounded on Friday after a man rammed through security and crashed into a barrier at the complex, forcing it into lockdown less than three months after a mob insurrection at Congress.
Capitol Police shot the driver dead as he jumped out the car and lunged with a knife.
The incident has sparked debate over whether fencing around the 59-acre campus, much of which was dismantled two months after the January 6 attack, should have been kept in place.
Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, the head of the Republicans’ Senate policy team, warned against ring-fencing the complex of around 20 buildings from the public.
“I think it would be a mistake for fencing to be a permanent part of the Capitol,” he told ABC’s This Week, noting that barriers had been “right there when the car drove through.”
Retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore, who led a security review after the January 6 attack, said lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had affirmed that safety was their top priority – while making sure the building is “100 per cent” accessible.