U.S. Capitol opens after brief security shutdown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An armed man barreled through a security barrier in his car and then ran into the U.S. Capitol on Monday, prompting police to shut the building down briefly before capturing him, authorities said.

The man was carrying a small handgun in his pocket during the 8 a.m. breach at one of Washington's most heavily secured government buildings, U.S. Capitol Police officials said.

He was captured shortly afterward in the basement "flag room," on the House of Representatives' side, they said.

"He was unstable. He apparently thought the devil or the demons were chasing him," a Capitol law enforcement official said, asking not to be identified.

The congressional day had barely begun when the man was arrested and it appeared there were no members of Congress in the building at the time.

The sprawling Capitol building was reopened after about an hour.

The suspect breached security with his car first and then got out and ran into the building, said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a Capitol Hill police spokeswoman.

The man apparently suffered a seizure, was treated by the Capitol's medical staff and taken to a hospital, Capitol Police officials said on condition of anonymity.

There have been a string of security alerts involving evacuations of the Capitol and various surrounding office buildings since the September 11 attacks five years ago.

Monday's incident occurred near a construction site for a new visitors center, Schneider said.

The man's vehicle was being searched, she said.