Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi is Recovering From Surgery After Suffering a hammer attack

(CTN News) – The husband of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi, is recuperating from surgery after being struck with a hammer by an intruder at the couple’s San Francisco home.

Mr. Pelosi, 82, had a broken skull and fractures to his right arm and hands, but he is anticipated to recover completely.

The incident has fanned concerns of political violence ahead of the midterm elections on November 8.

The suspect, 42-year-old David Depape, reportedly wanted to meet Mrs. Pelosi.

President Biden spoke to the incident as “despicable” and blamed a poisonous political atmosphere for fostering violence.

During a rally in Philadelphia, he said, “Enough is enough.” Every person of good conscience must openly and unequivocally oppose the violence in our politics, regardless of their political affiliation.

Hours after the incident, the United States government alerted law enforcement agencies around the country, warning of a “heightened danger” of violent domestic extremism targeting candidates and election workers motivated by “ideological grievances.”

However, authorities probing the assault on Ms. Pelosi, which they have termed a murder attempt, informed reporters that a motive had not yet been discovered.

‘Paul Pelosi made hidden 911 call.’

Nancy Pelosi, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time of the attack, flew back to her husband’s hospital bedside.

A spokeswoman for the top Democrat said that Nancy Pelosi was assaulted in the early hours of Friday morning “by a violent attacker who threatened his life while demanding to see the Speaker.”

Chief William Scott of the San Francisco Police Department said that police responded to a report on Friday at around 02:27 local time (09:27 GMT).

They saw Mr. Pelosi and the suspect grappling over a hammer, but the intruder took it from Mr. Pelosi and viciously attacked him with it.

Officers subdued and disarmed the suspect. He tried to bind Mr. Pelosi “until Nancy returned home,” according to law enforcement officials quoted by CBS News. During the encounter, he allegedly said, “Where’s Nancy?”

According to Chief Scott, he is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, burglary, and many other offences.

He said that the suspect entered the four-bedroom Pelosi home in the exclusive neighbourhood of Pacific Heights via a back entrance. A video captures a shattered glass door at the residence.

The suspect is hospitalized, but authorities would not discuss his medical condition.

According to the Los Angeles Times, at the beginning of the break-in, Mr. Pelosi told the burglar he needed to use the restroom before making a hidden 911 call on his mobile phone and leaving the line open so a dispatcher could hear him speaking with the suspect.

Chief Scott acknowledged that Mr. Pelosi had contacted the police and that an astute emergency dispatcher had “read between the lines” and sent officers.

The assault was not random, according to the police chief. “This was deliberate.”

He continued, “Everyone should be horrified by this morning’s events.”

Far right web activity

The BBC found anti-Semitic memes, Holocaust denial, allusions to far-right websites, and conspiracy theories, including QAnon, on the suspect’s blog, website, and social media profiles.

In addition, he disproved charges of electoral fraud. His latest blog entries were rambling and included several far-right and extremist talking points.

The suspect’s older communications offer hemp jewellery and quartz crystals. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, he was also a nudist activist who identified himself as a Green Party member.

His stepfather informed the Globe and Mail that the suspect grew raised in the western Canadian province of British Columbia before going to the United States and becoming alienated from his family.

Mrs. Pelosi is one of the nation’s most influential lawmakers. In 2021, she was re-elected to a fourth term as Speaker of the House of Representatives, placing her second in line for the president after Vice President Kamala Harris.

Since 1987, the native of Baltimore has represented the San Francisco region in Congress, dividing her time between California and Washington, D.C.

Ahead of the midterm elections, she is busy fundraising and campaigning with Democrats nationwide.

Her multimillionaire spouse, the founder of a venture capital business, resides largely in San Francisco, where he was born.

Since 1963, the pair has been married and has had five children.

Since the riot at the US Capitol in January 2021, members of Congress have been on high alert for security concerns. During the incident, supporters of then-President Donald Trump looted Mrs. Pelosi’s office in the building.

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