US opens criminal investigation into Capitol attack

Federal charges include theft of government property and violation of weapons enforcement law. A man was arrested near the Capitol on charges of carrying a semi-automatic weapon and 11 Molotov bombs that were “ready for use”, the prosecutor said.

During the attack on the Capitol four people died and dozens more were injured.

Prosecutor Michael Sherwin said the arrests mark the beginning of a several-month effort to bring perpetrators to justice.

This was certainly a very dangerous situation”, said prosecutor Sherwin. We're trying aggressively to deal with these cases as soon as possible, and not make any mistakes about it, even though we've prepared only 15 cases so far, I think this is a good start, but it's not the end of our efforts. ”

The large number of charges within 36 hours, expected to increase further in the coming days, underlines the aggression with which prosecutors are handling the investigation.

Mr. Sherwin warned that considering that the Capitol Police allowed most people to leave the Congress complex, trying to identify and arrest the authors could last for months, perhaps throughout the year.

He said hundreds of investigators are analyzing film footage of security cameras and those published in social media to identify authors.

“We will file aggressive accusations on these cases”, Mr. Sherwin said.

In office attorney Jeffrey Rosen said the Justice Department “is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our government and rule of law face the full legal consequences for their actions”.

Our superiors have been working all night with special agents and investigators from the Capitol Police, The FBI, ATF, the Metropolitan Police Department and the public to collect evidence, identify authors and file charges for federal crimes in cases when this will be necessary”, prosecutor Rosen said in a statement released Thursday.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said the FBI has deployed our full investigative resources” to file charges against those involved in the Capitol attack.

With the help of our partners, we will hold responsible those who participated in the attack yesterday's ( Wednesday) Capitol”, says Mr. Wray's statement.

The attack, dubbed by Prosecutor General Rosen as “an unattended attack on a fundamental institution of democracy”, began with hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump flocking to the Capitol, while members of Congress were gathering at a joint session to certified the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

In a video message published on Thursday evening on Twitter, President Trump spoke of “the serious attack on the U.S. Capitol”, saying it was “angry with violence and the violation of law and order”.

President Trump has been widely convicted of inciting violence, then urged angry supporters from his loss in the November 3rd elections to march towards the Capitol. In a rare criticism, former General Prosecutor William Barr, a staunch ally of President Trump when in office, said in a statement to the Associated Press news agency that bringing President “was a betrayal of the office (the president) and his supporters”.

Asked whether federal prosecutors were also investigating President Trump's role in Wednesday's violent actions in Washington, prosecutor Sherwin said, “We are looking at all actors and anyone who has played a role (in the Washington riots) and the evidence that matches elements of a crime will be charged”.

The Role of Police

The riots ended as officers from more than 18 law enforcement agencies and the National Guard deployed in the city. But a major question about the incident remained largely unanswered: Why were police forces protecting the Capitol unable to prevent protesters from entering the building? Law enforcement officials said that while prepared for a massive protest, they were caught unaware of what happened.

“ (The Capitol Police) had a strong plan to handle activities protected by the First Amandament (of the constitution). But these massive riots were not the activities of the First Amendment; they were criminal conduct”, Capital Police Chief Steven Sund said in a statement issued Thursday.

Mr. Sun protected his officers, saying that <x0... Thousands of individuals” were involved “in violent riot actions”, attacking law enforcement officers with iron bars, chemicals and other weapons. More than 50 police officers in the Capitol and Washington city were injured, and some were sent to hospital for treatment.

Capitol police have also faced questions about their failure to stop people even when they were breaking windows and entering offices, stealing government documents and materials.

A spokesman later said that Capital Police Chief Steven Sund resigned.

Prosecutor Michael Sherwin said the failure of the Capitol Police has made it more difficult for federal investigators to locate and arrest the perpetrators of the Capitol attack.

Many left incriminating evidence in the form of videos and photos posted in social media. A QAno group supporter was photographed in the Senate Hall. Another supporter of President Trump was photographed at the House of Representatives Speaker' office, Nancy Pelosi.

Law enforcement officials said they are analyzing videos recorded by security cameras and images posted in social media to identify authors. The FBI has called on the public to separate <x0 information and social media data describing unrest or violence”.

Jordan Strauss, a former federal prosecutor who is now director of the Kroll security firm, said the videos and photos offer “evidence in abundance” that prosecutors can use to file charges.

Many people broadcast their crimes directly while committing them”, said Mr. Strauss.

Possible charges

Participants in Wednesday's riots in the Capitol could face several federal charges, such as the destruction of property, the threat of members of Congress and uprisings, Mr. Strauss said. Prosecutor Michael Sherwin said that no charges, including that of sedition, would be excluded from this investigation.

The rebellion is an act of opposition to governmental authority by force. In a memorandum for federal prosecutors last summer, former Prosecutor General William Barr has cited the possibility of raising charges of sedition against those protesting police during those months.

Security expert Yordan Strauss said prosecutors would probably choose cleaner “ ” charges that do not risk violating rights protected by the First Amanda (of the Constitution) or allowing an individual to claim there is a kind of political prosecution”.

Joel Hirschhorn, a defence lawyer, said the arrest and raising charges against any protestor would be virtually impossible.

I think whoever was inside the Capitol building is in danger because it was an illegal entry into government property”, Mr. Hirschhorn said. “Will they be able to prosecute all? No, this is impossible”, he said.