Washington, 19 August 2021 (tca/dpa/MIA) — Washington law enforcement agencies converged on a suspicious vehicle and were investigating a bomb threat Thursday morning near the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building. A man in a black truck drove up on a sidewalk in front of the library and told a responding officer that he had a bomb, according to Capitol Police Chief J Thomas Manger, who gave a brief news conference shortly after noon. Officers are “in communication with the suspect” and working to “peacefully resolve” the situation, he said, while declining to provide further detail on the negotiations. The situation began unfolding around 9.30 am, when Capitol Police announced that officers were investigating a suspicious vehicle near the Library of Congress, located at the corner of First Street SE and Independence Avenue. Law enforcement alerted staff in the Library of Congress’ Madison and Jefferson buildings to evacuate, along with House staff in the Cannon House Office Building. Typically the Hill would be filled with staff and members of Congress on a Thursday morning, but because both the House and Senate are on summer recess, many are working off-campus. However, a number of staffers could be seen standing behind police lines in the surrounding areas waiting for the all-clear. Metro trains were bypassing the Capitol South station, and streets close to the investigation were closed as well. Law enforcement officials dressed in tactical gear closed streets around the library and set up a sniper team on the East Lawn. Armored vehicles and the Capitol Police’s emergency response team vehicles were also on the scene. The House Sergeant at Arms asked staff to avoid the area around First Street SE and Independence Avenue. “Due to the nature of the incident, this will likely be a prolonged law enforcement response,” the memo sent to House staff said. For some staffers, the events brought up unpleasant memories of a violent year on the Hill, including the mob attack on Jan. 6. “Being a Hill staffer in the post-January 6 era means constant bomb threats, evacuations, and safety drills hiding under your desk,” tweeted Sawyer Hackett, a former Democratic House staffer who now works for the People First Future PAC. “Staffers and members deserve occupational therapy,” he added. The violence continued in April, when a man rammed his vehicle into a police barricade at the Capitol, killing Capitol Police Officer William "Billy" Evans. “This year is certainly testing our resolve to continue working in an environment frequently under threats,” said one Capitol Hill staffer working from home on Thursday, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to speak to the press. “But we can't let the bad guys win. They want us to quit, and we cannot."