𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕪𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕤 '𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖'𝕤 ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕪' 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℙ𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕚'𝕤 𝕙𝕦𝕤𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕕

𝕌𝕊 ℍ𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℝ𝕖𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕣 ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕪 ℙ𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕚'𝕤 𝕙𝕦𝕤𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕕 ℙ𝕒𝕦𝕝 ℙ𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕚 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕒𝕦𝕝𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜-𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕡𝕝𝕖'𝕤 𝕊𝕒𝕟 𝔽𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕪 𝕠𝕟 𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒 𝕤𝕦𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕, 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕.

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hammer-wielding man attacked US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband during a break-in at the couple's San Francisco home early today, authorities said, in an assault that raised fears about political violence ahead of the 8 November midterm elections.

Paul Pelosi, 82, was taken to a hospital for treatment and was expected to make a full recovery, Pelosi's office said. Several media outlets reported he underwent surgery.

The man arrested at the scene, David Depape, 42, will be charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary, and several other felony charges, San Francisco police chief William Scott said.

The Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives, who is second in the constitutional line of succession to the US presidency, was in Washington with her protective detail at the time of the assault, according to the US Capitol police.

Authorities were still investigating a motive for the predawn attack, which was witnessed and interrupted by police officers dispatched to the Pelosi home for an "A-priority well-being check," Scott told reporters.

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The intruder shouted, "Where is Nancy?" before attacking her husband, CNNand The Washington Post both reported, citing unnamed sources. CNN said the assailant also told police at the scene that he had been "waiting for Nancy."

Recent posts on several internet sites by a user named "daviddepape" include references to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, criticism of women, "satanic paedophilia," censorship by tech companies, and other far-right political themes. Older messages promote quartz crystals and hemp bracelets.

Reuters could not confirm that the posts were made by the suspect.

The scene outside the Pelosis' home in San Francisco after the break-in. Photo: AFP

It was unclear how the intruder got into the three-storey red brick townhouse in the affluent Pacific Heights neighbourhood. Aerial photos showed shattered glass on a door at the rear of the house. Streets around the residence were closed off on Friday morning.

The Republican Party reactions to the brutal attack on Paul Pelosi are absolutely despicable. This is a party that normalizes and stokes violence, crime and domestic terrorism. pic.twitter.com/ygSM45VOU8

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) October 28, 2022

The assault occurred less than two weeks before midterm elections in which control of the House and US Senate is at stake.

Scott said police were called to the house at 2.27am local time, where they encountered Depape and Paul Pelosi struggling over a hammer, before Depape pulled the hammer away and attacked Pelosi.

Police officers tackled, disarmed and arrested Depape and took both men to a hospital for treatment, Scott said at a press briefing. He declined to answer questions, and said police would provide more details later.

Several media outlets reported that Paul Pelosi was undergoing brain surgery, while the Associated Press reported that he was being treated for bruising and severe swelling. Reuters was unable to confirm those accounts.

The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.https://t.co/MQor4NDFeE

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 29, 2022

President Joe Biden called Pelosi to express his support, according to White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy also said he reached out to Pelosi, while Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he was "horrified and disgusted" by the attack.

The Capitol police, responsible for protecting Congress, said officers were working with the FBI and San Francisco police on the investigation.

New York City police warned on Thursday that extremists could target politicians, political events and polling sites ahead of the midterm elections.

Republicans have been campaigning on concerns about violent crime, as well as inflation and other quality-of-life issues. San Francisco's crime rate in 2021 was 1.5 times the national average, according to several crime-tracking websites.

Hate speech, online extremism fed attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband - terror experts https://t.co/by6dEj4KgP

— Newshub (@NewshubNZ) October 30, 2022

As a Democratic leader in Washington and a longtime representative from one of America's most liberal cities, Pelosi, 82, is a frequent target of Republican criticism and is often featured in attack ads.

Her office was ransacked during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Republican then-President Donald Trump, some of whom hunted for her during the assault.

In January 2021, her home was vandalized with graffiti messages saying "Cancel rent" and "We want everything" painted on the house and a pig's head left in front of the garage, according to media reports.

McConnell's home also was vandalised around that time.

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Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the House 6 January panel, condemned the rise of incendiary campaign rhetoric vilifying political opponents and promoting falsehoods about widespread voter fraud.

"When you convince people that politicians are rigging elections, drink babies blood, etc, you will get violence. This must be rejected," he wrote on Twitter, calling on Republican candidates and elected officials to "speak out, and now."

In a politically polarised climate, threats against Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been on the rise. Capitol police said they investigated 9625 incidents in 2021, nearly a threefold increase from 2017.

A gunman angered by Trump shot and wounded five Republican members of Congress at a baseball practice in 2017, and Democrat Gabby Giffords was shot in the head at a public appearance in 2011.

Paul Pelosi, who owns a San Francisco-based real estate and venture capital firm, was convicted of a misdemeanour charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after becoming involved in an auto accident in May.

He was sentenced to five days in jail in Napa County, California, but his term was offset by community service and credit given for time already served immediately following his arrest.