Capitol Police: All Clear After Satire

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A string of fake news Twitter posts from The Onion, a satirical newspaper and website, prompted Capitol Hill Police to issue an “all clear” about security Thursday. 

The Onion published a story about Congress taking hostage a group of school children, then posted a string of made-up breaking news updates. Here’s a sampling from @TheOnion‘s Twitter feed this morning:

The Washington Post reported that the Capitol Police reacted angrily, and said it was “investigating” the reporting. The posts came a day after the FBI arrested a Massachusetts man charged with plans to attack the Capitol with explosives. 

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