U.S. Capitol assault “nothing less than an attempted coup", says ex-pres.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has described the storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump supporters as “nothing less than an attempted coup d'état”.

Hours after a rally by the president challenging his defeat at last year’s presidential elections on Wednesday, a group of his supporters stormed a session of the Congress that was being held to certify Joe Biden’s election win.

The session went into recess as protesters entered the chambers, at least four deaths were confirmed as the Capitol was once again secured.

In a tweet on Thursday morning, Maldives’ former President and the incumbent parliament Speaker said that the “appalling spectacle at the US Capitol right now, is nothing less than an attempted coup d'état”.

Reiterating that he has been through one, Nasheed claimed that he knows “what a coup looks like”, and added that the current situation not only attacks the democratic freedoms and norms in the United States, but around the world.

The former president maintains that he was forced to step down as president due to rioting in the streets orchestrated by opposition politicians and defecting police and military officers, back in 2012.

Nasheed joins a number of world leaders expressing concern over the situation in US Capitol, including United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who all stressed the importance of respecting democratic processes and the rule of law.

While these events have led to a rising number of calls for Trump’s impeachment, this includes both democrats and republicans.

The Congress, who reconvened in a joint session to continue to count electoral votes earlier, has confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over Trump.

Biden's inauguration will take place on January 20.