Man opens fire during Ethiopian Embassy protest in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A gunman opened fire during a protest on the Ethiopian Embassy grounds yesterday, according to a video of the incident, but no injuries were reported.

A spokesman for the US Secret Service said it had detained a possible shooter after a report at about 12.15 pm EDT (1615 GMT) that shots were fired near the embassy in northwest Washington, DC.

Witnesses said the gunfire took place inside the embassy compound during a protest against the Horn of Africa nation’s government.

“About half a block from the embassy, I heard at least four shots, and I thought there were people killed,” demonstrator Tesfa Simagne told Reuters Television.

A video taken inside the embassy gates and carried by the website of Ethiopian Satellite Television shows a man wearing a dark suit and brandishing a silver handgun.