Biden blasts Trump supporters’ ‘siege’ of Capitol

US President-elect Joe Biden has blasted the “insurrection” of pro-Trump rioters who stormed the US Capitol and he demanded an end to their “siege”.

The Democrat called on outgoing President Donald Trump to “step up” and repudiate the violence.

In a tweeted video, Mr Trump repeated debunked claims the vote was “stolen”, but urged protesters to “go home”.

A joint session of Congress confirming electoral college votes has been suspended and forced into recess.

The protesters fought their way past police to breach the US Capitol, shouting and waving pro-Trump and US flags as they roamed through the halls, demanding the results of the presidential election be overturned.

The invasion sent members of Congress scrambling for cover under their seats and donning gas masks as tear gas was fired in the Capitol Rotunda.

A woman who was shot during the riot has died, according to US media.

Federal law enforcement official said two suspected explosive devices were found and were both rendered safe by the FBI and Capitol Hill police.

Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden said democracy was ‘”under unprecedented assault”.

“I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfil his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,” he said.

“To storm the Capitol, to smash windows, to occupy offices on the floor of the United States Senate, rummaging through desks, on the House of Representatives, threatening the safety of duly elected officials.

“It’s not protest; it’s insurrection.”

Mr Trump responded in a recorded video on Twitter, repeating his unproven claims of fraud in November’s White House election.

“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt,” said the Republican president, who leaves office on 20 January.

“We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side.

“But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.”

Twitter added a warning label to the tweet, citing the disputed claim of election fraud and “risk of violence”.

While rallying his supporters outside the White House earlier on Wednesday, Mr Trump had urged them to march on the Capitol.

During the “Save America Rally”, Mr Trump had told his supporters: “We will never give up. We will never concede.”

It is not known who shot the woman who died, but disturbing footage from the scene shows her slumped on the ground with blood on her face.

The protesters surged up the Capitol steps at around 14:15 local time (19:15 GMT), shoving past barricades and officers in riot gear to penetrate the building.

The mob – some of whom wore body armour – marched through the building shouting “Where are they?” and chanting: “We want Trump.”

One was photographed in the Senate president’s chair. One climbed on to the dais and shouted: “Trump won that election.”

During the chaos, members of Congress – including Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris – were told to evacuate the building or remain where they were. A chaplain prayed as police guarded the doors to the House of Representatives chamber.

After an occupation lasting several hours, the sergeant-at-arms – the executive office of the Senate – announced that the building had been secured by law enforcement.

But there was little sign the protesters were heeding Mr Trump’s call to go home, despite a citywide curfew declared by the city mayor from 18:00 to 06:00 (23:00 to 11:00 GMT).

Vice-President Mike Pence had called on the rioters to leave the Capitol immediately, saying the violence and destruction “must stop now”.

There were also reports of protests at state legislatures in Kansas and Georgia.

By Laura Trevelyan, BBC News, Washington

On the steps of Capitol Hill, hundreds of loyal Trump supporters are packed closely together, as nearby armed police officers keep a watchful eye.

The mood here is tense and defiant.

“We’re not [expletive] Antifa!” one man screams at the police, referring to the loose coalition of “anti-fascist” activists that oppose Mr Trump.

Trump loyalists near him wave placards that say “show us the ballots”.

“All we want is for the Capitol police to stand down, and surrender the building to us,” says one man to news cameras, as he is filmed by other Trump supporters.

The conviction here is that the election was stolen from President Trump, and the lawmakers inside the building should do their duty and somehow award the election to him.

Never mind that election officials have certified the results and the courts have thrown out Trump campaign lawsuits alleging fraud because there’s no evidence.

It’s a siege mentality here, as word spreads through the crowd that the National Guard is on its way to the Capitol.

A joint session of Congress was being held to certify Mr Biden’s election victory on 3 November.

The proceedings are usually brief and ceremonial but Republican lawmakers have been objecting to some results.

For days Mr Trump had also been putting pressure on Mr Pence, who is presiding over the session, to block certification of the result. “Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!” the president tweeted on Wednesday.

But in a letter to Congress, Mr Pence said that he had no “unilateral authority to decide which electoral votes should be counted”.

Mr Trump has also tried to throw doubt on the integrity of Tuesday’s Senate run-off votes in the southern, traditionally Republican, state of Georgia – where two Democrats are projected to have won.

Their victory would hand Democrats effective control of the Senate – something that will help Mr Biden push forward his agenda after he is inaugurated as president on 20 January.