U.S. Capitol Police say they are investigating the satirist media organization The Onion, after it “tweeted” messages saying, falsely, that there was a hostage situation at the U.S. Capitol Building.

The Onion's Twitter feed said gunfire was reported in the building. It later said U.S. lawmakers had taken 12 children hostage. The Onion continued to issue fake reports throughout the day.

The messages, which linked to a satiric article on The Onion's web page, were quickly spread by Twitter users, forcing the Capitol Police to issue a statement assuring people the reports were false.

Later “tweets” said the lawmakers were demanding ransom, a safe escape route, and re-election in 2012.