Authorities are gathering what they know about the man shot outside the US Capitol after he launched a fatal attack on police officers.
US Capitol Police Officer William Evans He died in hospital after a man hit a car To two officers and “slammed” toward them with a knife in his hand at about 1 pm local time on Friday. Then he was shot dead by an officer.
Four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation named the suspect as Noah Green, 25, from Indiana, according to NBC News.
The vehicle used in the attack outside the Capitol
So far, there are few details about his identity, but an investigation has been opened to find out the motive of the attack.
Green, who was originally thought to be from Indiana, lived in Covington, Virginia.
He was a student at Florida State University and enrolled in a part-time, online MBA program.
His Facebook page shows him wearing the NFL kit and he is said to be dealing with a number of issues.
Authorities said he was not known to the local police or the US Capitol Police and the attack was not believed to be linked to terrorism.
Sky correspondent Alex Rossi said investigators would now try to “create a picture of this person” using information including social media and phone records.
Rossi added that the authorities would try to come up with details including who his friends and family were and who he spoke to in the days leading up to the attack.
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At a press conference, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pitman said the suspect had hit his car with two officers before hitting a barrier.
Then he got out of the car and started “running violently” against the officers with a knife in his hand, and “slammed” towards them.
“It’s clear that this person was actively trying to reach anyone or anything else,” said Washington, DC Police Chief Robert Conte.
A soldier stands guard near the scene. Pic: AP
Michael Baker, a former covert operations officer at the CIA, said there would be “a lot of speculation” about the motive behind the attack, and he expected there would be a “leap” to suggest the suspect was a supporter of the far-right.
However, he said the timing of the attack could “indicate a mental health problem.”
The House and Senate are currently on vacation, so the politicians are not in the building right now.
“It is a quiet time there and you will assume if it was a more heinous plot, they would have understood it and chose the time when it was busiest,” Baker told Sky News.