Rioters clash with police and security forces as people attempt to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI is conducting a massive investigation to identify and prosecute hundreds of people. Brent Stirton / Getty Images Hide caption
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Brent Stirton / Getty Images
Rioters clash with police and security forces as people attempt to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI is conducting a massive investigation to identify and prosecute hundreds of people.
Brent Stirton / Getty Images
The FBI released a series of videos Thursday showing 10 people suspected of the most violent attacks on police officers during the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and asked the public for help in identifying the attackers.
In the videosPeople in the crowd of Trump supporters can be seen beating officers, hitting them with what appears to be batons or baseball bats, and dousing them with chemical sprays.
“These people can be seen on a video in which they commit tremendous crimes against those who devoted their lives to protecting the American people.” said Steven D’Antuono, the head of the FBI’s field office in Washington. He asked the public for information that could help identify the suspects.
The appeal comes more than two months after the insurgents stormed the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt Congressional certification of the election of the electoral college. Federal investigators have arrested and so far more than 300 calculated, including at least 65 people suspected of attacking the police.
“However, some of the most violent criminals have yet to be identified, including the ten assailants featured in the footage released today,” said an FBI statement in Washington.
Over the past two months, the public has played a crucial role in identifying the Capitol rioters. Court documents from many cases contain references to family members, friends, co-workers, or acquaintances who have contacted the office for information about people who appear on searched posters or in videos and photos.
One of the January 6 videos released by the FBI on Thursday shows a rioter trying to tear off the gas mask of an officer in protective clothing who is trying to block a door. In another case, a man is seen spraying a chemical irritant on a number of officers. In a third case, a man in a red MAGA hat swings a baseball bat at a line of officers guarding an entrance.
D’Antuono said the public’s tips so far have been “a tremendous help” in the FBI’s investigation and again asked for assistance in identifying the suspects in the videos.
The investigation into the Capitol Rising is one of the largest in American history.
The defendants come from more than 40 states. Some of them have ties to extremist groups like the Proud Boys or the oath guards.
The breadth and scope of the investigation is staggering, and the investigators are faced with mountains of evidence.
Prosecutors have collected more than 15,000 hours of surveillance and body camera footage. around 1,600 electronic devices; 210,000+ tips, many of which contain digital photos or videos; More than 80,000 reports and 93,000 attachments related to interviews with suspects and witnesses.
The pace of new cases has slowed since the days immediately following the attack, but more people are charged every week, and prosecutors said so last week At least 100 other people could be charged in connection with the uprising.
