What is the Capitol building?

The world has been shocked by pro-Trump rioters’ storming the Capitol in Washington DC, with political leaders around the globe condemning the assault on US democracy.

The violence began after president Donald Trump told his supporters to march on the Capitol, whipping up the crowd by repeating his lies about widespread voter fraud in the US presidential election.

As a result of the insurrection, US lawmakers, who were inside the Capitol building certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory at the time, had to be evacuated to unknown locations.

One woman was shot dead by police while attempting to storm the building, while three others died from medical emergencies during the riots.

Acting US attorney general Jeffrey Rosen described the scenes as an “intolerable attack on a fundamental institution of our democracy”.

The Capitol, whose construction began in 1793, houses the nation’s legislature, with the Senate occupying the north wing and the House of Representatives the south wing.

The building is the central symbol of US democracy, which makes yesterday’s violence all the more egregious.

It sits atop Jenkins Hill, now known as Capitol Hill, to the east of the White House. Prior to its construction, the position was described by French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who designed the city of Washington, as “a pedestal waiting for a monument”.

As well as containing both chambers of Congress, the vast complex, which reached its current size in 1892, holds politicians’ offices and is a tourist attraction, receiving approximately three million visitors each year.

The site also hosts ceremonies including presidential inaugurations, with Joe Biden’s to take place there on 20 January.

The building’s Rotunda, where dozens of rioters were pictured on Wednesday, is where tributes are paid to venerated citizens after their deaths as they “lie in state”. 

In recent years, people who have received this honour include the civil rights activist and Democratic senator John Lewis and the Republican senator John McCain.

The Capitol Hill campus comes under the jurisdiction of the United States Capitol Police (USCP), which was unable to prevent rioters from breaking into the Capitol building on Wednesday afternoon.

After the grave security lapse, the force of 2,000 officers later received additional support from state troopers from Maryland and Virginia.

The USCP has come under criticism for its failure to secure the Capitol’s perimeter. However, individual officers have also been praised for putting their lives on the line to protect American politicians.

Terry Gainer, a former head of the USCP, told NPR that in retrospect a fence “should have been up” and “more officers brought in”.

He added that Mr Trump had a “certain responsibility” for what took place because he had incited the mob “to be so angry and hateful”. 

The Capitol has experienced violent incidents and security breaches in the past, including the shooting and wounding of five US lawmakers in 1954 by Puerto Rican separatists.