SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer by an assailant who authorities said broke into the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday, searching for the Democratic leader and shouting, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?”

The assault on the 82-year-old Paul Pelosi injected new uneasiness into the nation’s already toxic political climate, just 11 days before the midterm elections. It carried chilling echoes of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol when rioters chanted menacingly for the speaker as they rampaged through the halls trying to halt certification of Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump.

Speaker Pelosi, who was in Washington at the time of the California attack, arrived in San Francisco late Friday and went straight to the hospital where her husband was being treated for injuries.

Forty-two-year-old David DePape was arrested on charges of attempted murder, elder abuse and burglary, police said. Paul Pelosi underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, the speaker’s office said. His doctors expect a full recovery.

Biden quickly called Speaker Pelosi with support and later delivered a full-throated condemnation of the “despicable” attack that he said had no place in America.

“There’s too much violence, political violence. Too much hatred. Too much vitriol,” Biden said Friday night at a Democratic rally in Pennsylvania.

“What makes us think it’s not going to corrode the political climate? Enough is enough is enough.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell tweeted he was “horrified and disgusted” by the assault.

In San Francisco on Friday, police were called at about 2.30 am to the Pelosi residence to check on Paul Pelosi, said Chief William Scott.

Investigators believe the intruder gained entry to the home in the upscale Pacific Heights neighbourhood by breaking through glass-paneled doors, according to two people familiar with the situation. Paul Pelosi called 911 himself after telling the intruder he had to use the restroom, where his phone was charging, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Inside, police discovered the suspect DePape and Paul Pelosi struggling over a hammer, Scott said. DePape yanked the hammer from Pelosi and began beating him with it before being subdued by officers and arrested, Scott said. The FBI and Capitol Police are also part of the joint investigation.

Police said a motive for Friday’s intrusion was still to be determined, but three people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that DePape targeted Pelosi’s home. Those people were not authorised to talk publicly about an ongoing probe and spoke on condition of anonymity. He was booked in the county jail.

The speaker had returned to Washington this week after being abroad and had been scheduled to appear with Vice President Kamala Harris at a fundraising event Saturday night for the LGBTQ group Human Rights Campaign. Pelosi cancelled her appearance.

Gene DePape, the suspect’s stepfather, said the suspect lived with him in Canada until he was 14 and was a quiet boy.

“He was reclusive,” said Gene DePape, adding, “He was never violent.”

The stepfather said he hadn’t seen DePape since 2003 and tried to get in touch with him several times over the years without success.

Lawmakers from both parties reacted with shock and expressed their well-wishes to the Pelosi family.