Twitter, Facebook freeze Trump accounts as tech giants respond to storming of U.S. capitol

FILE PHOTO: The Twitter logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

(Reuters) -Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc on Wednesday temporarily locked the accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, as tech giants scrambled to crack down on his baseless claims about the U.S. presidential elections amid riots in the capital.

Twitter hid and required the removal of three of Trump's tweets "as a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C.," after pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to force Congress to block the appointment of President-elect Joe Biden.