As of: 10/28/2022 11:15 p.m
A burglary in the house of US politician Pelosi caused shocked reactions. She herself was not there – her husband was injured by the intruder. There are indications that he was targeting the politician.
The husband of US Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi was injured in a late-night burglary with a hammer. Police say a man broke into their home in San Francisco. The attacker “Where’s Nancy, where’s Nancy?” have called, several media report, citing officials.
Paul Pelosi was hit multiple times in the head and taken to the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery from the attack, US House Speaker Drew Hammill said.
Police said they were called to the home around 2:30 a.m. There, officers found the 82-year-old and the 42-year-old attacker, police chief William Scott said. Both were clutching a hammer. The attacker snatched the hammer from Pelosi and began hitting him. He was then overpowered by the police and arrested.
Paul Pelosi was injured in the hammer attack.
Image: REUTERS
Search for the motive
He would be accused of attempted homicide, assault and burglary, among other things. Investigations have been started on his motive – it is so far unclear. According to the Wall Street Journal, the arrested man had previously spread right-wing extremist views and conspiracy theories on online platforms, including about the corona pandemic.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, was not in San Francisco at the time of the burglary. President Joe Biden’s party friend was in the capital, Washington, according to the Capitol Police. She is often the target of verbal attacks from the American political right. Ex-President Donald Trump keeps calling her “Crazy Nancy”.
shocked reactions
The attack happened a week and a half before the midterm congressional elections. He caused shocked reactions. President Biden spoke of a “terrible attack”. Senior Republican Rep. Steve Scalise said he was “disgusted” by the attack.
Politicians from both major parties have expressed fears of political violence ahead of the election. According to Capitol Police, the number of threats against MPs has more than doubled since 2017. Pelosi, whose constituency is in San Francisco, has served as speaker of the House of Representatives for the second time since 2019. The 82-year-old is the number three in the state after President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, she is likely to lose her top office soon: according to polls, the opposition Republicans are likely to wrest the majority in the House of Representatives from the Democrats in the congressional elections.