Global leaders have been expressing their shock over the attack in the US capital.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said "Canadians are deeply disturbed" by the "attack on democracy".

Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez expressed his support for Joe Biden and condemned the "serious acts of violence".

President Ivan Duque of Colombia similarly rejected the violence and offered his support to members of Congress.

Chile's President Sebastian Pinera condemned "the actions seeking to alter the democratic process".

Read more: World leaders react to 'horrifying' scenes in Washington

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer says "we can now add January 6 to the very short list of dates in American history that will live forever in infamy".

"This temple to democracy was desecrated," he says. "The world saw Americans' elected officials hurriedly ushered out because they were in harm's way. The house and senate floors were places of shelter until the evacuation was ordered, leaving rioters to stalk these hallowed halls."

He also says they mourn the loss of life, as one woman was killed in the violence.

"This will be a stain on our country not so easily washed away. A final, terrible, indelible legacy of the 45th president of the United States - undoubtedly our worst."

Schumer adds that these attackers cannot be called protesters. They are "domestic terrorists" who "do not represent America", he says.

Schumer says that the counting of the votes will finish tonight, and all the attack accomplished was a delay of a few hours.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell is speaking now.

He says the US Congress has faced down "much greater threats than the unhinged crowd" today.

"They tried to disrupt our democracy, they failed. They failed."

McConnell says the crucial task of formalising the next US president will be completed.

"We're gonna finish exactly what we started. We'll complete the process the right way by the book. We'll follow our precedents, our laws and our Constitution to the letter.

"And we will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election."

He adds that the "American people deserve nothing less".

"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win," Vice-President Mike Pence says.

"Violence never wins. Freedom wins and this is still the People's house. As we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy for even in the wake of unprecedented violence and vandalism.

"The elected representatives of the people of the United States have assembled again."

Pence wraps up his address to a chorus of applause.

"Today was a dark day in the United States Capitol," says Vice-President Mike Pence as Senate returns.

Vice-President Pence's spokesman said earlier that Pence "never left the Capitol" during the attack.

The vice-president, who presides over the Senate, was in "regular contact" with Congressional leadership, police, and the departments of justice and defence to "secure the Capitol and reconvene Congress".

"And now we will finish the People's business."

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is also expected in the Senate, reporters say.

Image source, Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama said history would remember today's attack, "incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation".

"But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise," he added, saying the "fantasy narrative" of Republicans and their "accompanying media ecosystem" has misled their followers about the truth of the election.

"Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo."

Obama called on Republican leaders to "choose America", and said he was heartened to see many speak up today."Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and local election officials in states like Georgia who’ve refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honourably."

Former President Bill Clinton called the events an assault "fuelled by more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust...and putting Americans against one another".

"The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost," the Democrat said. "The election was free, the count was fair, the result is final."

Clinton added he believes America is made up of "good, decent people".

"If that’s who we really are, we must reject today’s violence, turn the page, and move forward together".

Image source, Getty Images

More Republicans are weighing in to condemn the attack - and the president's rhetoric.

North Carolina Senator Richard Burr placed the blame on Trump.

"The President bears responsibility for today’s events by promoting the unfounded conspiracy theories that have led to this point."

Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming also said there was "no question that the president formed the mob, the president incited the mob, the president addressed the mob. He lit the flame."

Her fellow congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington State said she has now decided to vote to uphold Joe Biden's win, calling today's incidents "unlawful and unacceptable" as she urged Trump "to condemn and put an end to this madness".

Colorado's state Republican leadership also condemned the mob attack, "just as we condemned the actions of protesters at our own Colorado State Capitol this past spring" amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

And the national Republican Party communications director Michael Ahrens wrote on Twitter that the attack amounted to "domestic terrorism".

"Our soldiers have died carrying the American flag into battle for our freedom. To see that flag used in the name of unfounded conspiracy theories is a disgrace to the nation, and every decent American should be disgusted by it."

James Clayton
North America technology reporter

Image source, N/A

Donald Trump's message to protesters as they attacked the US Capitol has been taken down by Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Trump had called for his supporters to go home, but also reiterated false claims about election fraud.

Facebook said: "We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence."

Before the violence, President Trump had told supporters on the National Mall in Washington that the election had been stolen.

Hours later, as the violence mounted inside and outside the US Capitol, he appeared on video and repeated the false claim.

YouTube said it removed the video because it "violated policies on spreading election fraud".

Twitter initially didn't take down the video, removing the ability to retweet, like and comment on it and another tweet.

However, it later removed them.

Twitter said: "We have been significantly restricting engagement with Tweets labelled under our Civic Integrity Policy due to the risk of violence".

Facebook told the BBC: "The violent protests in the Capitol today are a disgrace. We prohibit incitement and calls for violence on our platform. We are actively reviewing and removing any content that breaks these rules."

Facebook also said it is currently looking for and removing content that incited or supported the storming of Capitol Hill.

The march was partly organised online, including on Facebook groups and pages.

Read James' full analysis here.

Twitter has just announced President Donald Trump's account will be locked for the next 12 hours due to his tweets about the election earlier today.

"As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy," the social platform said.

If Trump does not remove the three tweets in violation, the account will remain locked.

Twitter also warned that future violations of integrity or threat policies "will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account".

Image source, Getty Images

The crowds have begun to disperse near the Capitol as National Guard troops from the DC region have been deployed.

There are around 2,700 DC Army and Air National Guard troops mobilised and an additional 650 from Virginia, a Guard spokesman said.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just learned that the US Senate is expected to reconvene this evening, at 20:00 local time (01:00GMT), according to Democrat Chuck Schumer.

Here's more from Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement that lawmakers would return to work this evening.

In her statement, Pelosi called the attack on the Capitol a "shameful assault" on democracy. "It cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of Joe Biden."

"The night may still be long but we are hopeful for a shorter agenda, but our purpose will be accomplished," the most powerful Democrat in Washington said.

"We also knew that we would be a part of history in a positive way, today, despite ill-founded objections to the Electoral College vote.

"We now will be part of history, as such a shameful picture of our country was put out to the world, instigated at the highest level."

Pelosi's office was vandalised during the mob attack. One protester was seen carrying her lectern through the Capitol.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Former President George W Bush has issued a statement on the "scenes of mayhem" unfolding in the US Capitol.

"It is a sickening and heartbreaking sight," the Republican wrote.

"This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic."

Bush continued, saying that he was "appalled by the reckless behaviour of some political leaders" since the presidential election, but stopped short of calling out President Trump or his supporters by name.

In his own statement Republican Senator Mitt Romney went a step further, condemning today's "insurrection, incited by the President of the United States".

Those who support Trump, Romney wrote, "will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy".

President Trump has yet to condemn the armed protesters who broke in to the Capitol building, but has asked people to remain peaceful.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has announced that lawmakers will return to continue the vote count tonight.

She said after consulting with other Democratic leaders, and "calls to the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Vice President, we have decided we should proceed tonight at the Capitol once it is cleared for use".

At least 13 individuals have been arrested during the clashes on Capitol Hill.

Washington DC Metropolitan Police said five guns, including handguns and long guns, have also been seized.

Police Chief Robert Contee told reporters all of the arrests involved people who do not live in the DC area.

He also said some officers are being treated for injuries.

Police are currently moving protesters away from the Capitol. The citywide curfew began at 18:00 local time.

Police have confirmed that a woman who was shot earlier during the storming of the Capitol has died due to her injuries.

She has not yet been named by officials, but police earlier said she was a civilian.

On 14 December, members of the electoral college sent off their votes in sealed certificates to Congress from across the country.

On 6 January, these certificates entered the Capitol in ceremonial mahogany ballot boxes, which have been used since 1877.

Congress' counting of those electoral votes was halted amid chaos earlier today as police evacuated lawmakers as pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the Capitol.

One senator - Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley - said on Twitter some staff scrambled to "rescue" those mahogany boxes as they left the Senate floor.

Once the work of Congress is done after each election, those certificates are preserved. They are made available for public review for a year at the Office of the Federal Registrar, then transferred to the National Archives.

Read more about the process of counting the electoral votes here

Image source, Reuters

The chaos continues in Washington DC.

Police moved into the Capitol ahead of the citywide curfew. US media report that police are pushing demonstrators away from the Capitol building, using flashbangs to try to move the crowd back.

The DC National Guard has already been deployed and Mayor Muriel Bowser has called on neighbouring states Virginia and Maryland to send in their troops for additional backup.

"They need to start backing up right now," Bowser tells CNN, saying that authorities will be on the street to enforce the curfew.

Inside the Capitol, lawmakers have resumed the special Congressional session meant to confirm the presidential election results, and Joe Biden's win. Speaking in the Senate, Republican Senator Ben Sasse blamed Donald Trump specifically for today's unrest.

"This violence was the inevitable and ugly outcome of the President’s addiction to constantly stoking division,” Sasse said.

The capital city in the US, after hours of violence at the heart of its government, has just started its citywide curfew.

The local time is 18:00 EST and it's in effect until Thursday morning.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier this evening, demonstrators destroyed camera equipment set up by media reporters just outside the Capitol.

As the crowds moved out of the Capitol Hill area, reporters have documented protesters charging the media and levying verbal attacks.

On CNN's broadcast, protesters could be heard using foul language and criticising journalists as reporting "fake news".

Image source, Getty Images

US officials have announced that the Capitol Building is now secure.

Reporters inside the Capitol say lawmakers applauded as the Sergeant at Arms conveyed the news.