USA
First modification:
US media, citing sources in the Pelosi family, reported that the attacker told Paul that he was going to tie him up and wait for the House Speaker to get home. The attacker displayed far-right ideals on social media. The assault comes in a tumultuous year for Pelosi’s husband.
An intruder attacked with a hammer to the husband of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, after breaking into her California home early Friday morning in search of the Democratic leader, authorities reported. the attacker “demanded to see the president of the Chamber” and “threatened to kill” Paul Pelosi, political spokesman Drew Hammill said.
Police said when officers arrived at the victim’s home in San Francisco shortly before 2:30 a.m. (0930 GMT), the assailant and Paul Pelosi were wrestling over a hammer. “Our officers observed that Mr. Pelosi and a suspect were both holding a hammer. The suspect pushed Mr. Pelosi’s hammer away and violently assaulted him with it,” causing injuries to the skull and bodySan Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott told reporters.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, the second in the line of succession to the presidencywas in Washington at the time.
Scott identified the assailant as David Depape, 42, and said he would be charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and other crimes. Although he stated that he could not yet reveal the alleged motives for the crime, he stated that “it was not a random act.” “This was intentional. Everyone should be upset about what happened this morning,” he added.
US media, citing sources from the Pelosi family, reported that the attacker told Paul that he was going to tie him up and wait for the Speaker of the House to come home.
The victim managed to call emergency while the man was distracted, according to cable network MSNBC.
The intruder entered the house of the Democratic leader through a sliding glass door, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing police officers who spoke on condition of anonymity.
the attacker displayed far-right ideals on social mediaincluding conspiracy theories about covid-19, one of the officers told the newspaper.
The assault comes in a tumultuous year for Pelosi’s husband, who was declared guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol after an accident in May and sentenced to five days in jail.
President Joe Biden called Pelosi in the morning to express his support for the “horrible attack”, reported the White House, before denouncing the “abominable” attack later during a trip to Philadelphia.
There is “no place” for political violence in the United States, the president said, less than two weeks before the mid-term elections are held in the North American country. “It’s too much, it’s too much,” he added.
In the midst of the electoral campaign, members of the Republican and Democratic parties have warned about the violence surrounding these elections. According to the Capitol Police, threats against legislators have more than doubled to exceed 9,000 annually since 2017.
(with AFP)
