'The Onion's' Tweets Under Investigation By U.S Capitol Police

Tweets sent by The Onion are being investigated by U.S. Capitol Police after the satirical news site reported there had been a shooting inside the Capital and Representatives were taking hostages.

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Beginning Thursday morning, the Onion's Twitter feed reported, "BREAKING: Capitol building being evacuated. 12 children held hostage by group of armed congressmen. #CongressHostage."

The site followed up with follow-up reports, "Congress Takes Group of Schoolchildren Hostage" and "Police helicopter just ordered to pull back after Rep. Trent Franks tried to take it down with a shotgun. #CongressHostage."

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The reports continued, "BREAKING: Congress demanding $12 trillion ransom or "all the kids die" #CongressHostage."

Followers of the Twitter feed responded by telling the writers that the tweets were "unfunny" and "a lame gag."

But Politico reports that the Capitol Police aren't laughing. A spokesman for the police told the site, "It has come to our attention that recents twitter feeds are reporting false information concerning current conditions at the U.S. Capitol. Conditions at the U.S. Capitol are currently normal. There is no credibility to these stories or the twitter feeds. The U.S. Capitol Police are currently investigating the reporting."