Nancy Pelosi landed in her hometown of San Francisco on Friday evening and immediately drove to her husband's hospital.

Paul Pelosi, who suffered a fractured skull in an attack at his home, had just had surgery there.

Much is still open: the motive of the perpetrator above all, including the mental state of 42-year-old David DePape, who was later arrested by the police and charged with, among other things, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and burglary.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

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What happened?

Early Friday morning, around 2:30 a.m., three San Francisco police officers broke into the Pelosis' Pacific Heights home.

It was later reported that Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old man of the Democratic House Speaker, managed to call the police and send them a coded message immediately after the burglary.

Police Chief William Scott reported Friday that when officers arrived at the home, Paul Pelosi and the assailant were wrestling over a gavel.

In front of the police, DePape then grabbed the hammer and hit Pelosi.

Conspiracy theory posts

The intruder was then overpowered by the police and disarmed.

The officials then took care of Pelosi.

Both men were initially taken to the hospital.

DePape was later remanded in custody.

The House Speaker's Office said Paul Pelosi suffered a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.

However, doctors expected the 82-year-old investor to make a full recovery.

American media reported, citing an unnamed source, that the intruder called the Democrat several times, "Where's Nancy?" Pelosi was in Washington at the time of the crime.

She was originally scheduled to attend a fundraising event with Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday night.

Since Nancy Pelosi, number three in the state, was not in San Francisco, there was no security at the Pelosi home.

Police Chief Scott stressed that the motive was still open.

The man was not on record for the security authorities.

The – now blocked – Facebook page DePapes showed, among other things, conspiracy-theoretical postings about the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Other entries suggest a connection to the radical nudist scene.

Vice President Harris spoke on Saturday evening of an act of extreme violence and lamented the widespread hatred.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was appalled and disgusted by what happened.

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, is said to have spoken confidentially to Pelosi.

So far, there has been no statement from Donald Trump.

The former president repeatedly verbally attacked Pelosi, calling her "Crazy Nancy."