A truck rammed into California's state capitol building today, setting off a fiery explosion just as state lawmakers were finishing an emergency bill designed to ease the state's critical power crisis.
Officials said the driver of the truck, which was loaded with evaporated milk, was killed in the incident, which witnesses said appeared to be some kind of bizarre attack.
"There's no question in my mind that this was a deliberate act," Assembly Speaker Mr Robert Hertzberg said after he and other lawmakers were evacuated from the building.
Police said they were treating the incident as a possible crime, but had no immediate information on possible reason for the crash, or whether it was an intentional act or an accident.
"That has not been determined," Capt. Dennis Williams, the California Highway Patrol's chief of Capitol security, told a news conference.
FBI spokesman Mr Nick Rossi said that law enforcement agencies involved in the local joint terrorism task force were cooperating in the investigative effort, but that this was normal under the circumstances.
"This investigation should not be taken as a sign by anyone that this is a terrorist action," Mr Rossi said.
Witnesses said the 18-wheel truck circled the capitol building several times at around 9:30 p.m. Pacific time (12:30 a.m. EST). Then, according to onlookers, the driver aimed the vehicle directly at one of the entrances - careening over the lawn at a high rate of speed and plowing up marble steps and into the capitol. The truck then exploded into a ball of flames.
"It was kind of insane," said witness Mr Dave Turko. "It was a big boom and it just immediately burst into flames."
Emergency rescue personnel responded immediately and quickly tamed the fire, which had spread from the truck to the west wing of the capitol building. A bomb squad was called in to examine the truck, but police said they had no immediate evidence that any explosives were involved.
California Highway Patrol officers on the scene said that the driver had been killed in the crash, but there were no other reports of injuries.
There was little information immediately available about the truck or the driver.
Reuters