An unidentified man walked on Saturday afternoon in a public area of the Capitol, took out a gun and shot himself. He stood beside a fountain between the Capitol building and a street.

At that time, there were about 50 people in the area. People started to duck and run when the man produced a gun and shot himself.

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After the suicide, Capitol Police Chief Kim Dane said they discovered a message with a social justice theme sign on the man that reads "Tax the 1 percent."

The suicide led to a three-hour lockdown of the area, reports USA Today, as bomb technicians inspect the contents of the man's backpack and suitcase with wheels.

It happened on one of the busiest days in the Capitol as the nation observed the Cherry Blossoms Festival that draws thousands of visitors to the Capitol.

During the lockdown, some of the streets near the Capitol were closed. Entrance and exits to the Capitol or the Capitol Visitors Center were blocked, while the police advised through email for the Senate staff and other people inside the Capitol complex to stay indoors in the meantime.

However, there were not that many people inside because Congress was in recess the past two weeks and are scheduled to return to work on Monday.

The building reopened before 4 p.m. Dine said the incident appear to have no relation to any terrorist plan.

Despite the tight security, there has been some recent incidents in the area that highlights breaches in security.

In 2013, a woman drove through security barriers near the White House and then raced toward the capitol. In the same year, a government contractor killed 12 people when he open fired at the Washington Navy Yard.

In September, a man run into the White House armed with a knife. But he was tackled by security. The incident led to a shake-up in the U.S. Secret Service.

A fire that gutted a souvenir store near the White House also led to several hours of lockdown earlier this year.

Tagslockdown, United States Capitol