Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrive at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA on January 6, 2021.
Graeme Sloan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
WASHINGTON – The FBI is asking the public for help in identifying people who participated in the pro-Trump riots in the Capitol.
“We will accept tips and digital media about riots or violence in and around the Capitol on Jan. 6,” said an FBI tweet.
“If you have witnessed unlawful acts of violence, we encourage you to submit any information, photos or videos that may be relevant to fbi.gov/USCapitol,” the agency said in a subsequent statement.
The chaos in the Capitol resulted in the deaths of four people and 52 arrests. More than 50 US Capitol Police and DC police officers were injured in the attack on the Capitol, Steven Sund, the chief of the US Capitol Police, wrote in a statement Thursday.
A supporter of President Donald Trump carries a Conferderate battle flag on the second floor of the Capitol at the entrance to the Senate after breaching the security defenses in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.
Mike Theiler | Reuters
The riots that broke out in Washington forced Congress to suspend the joint session scheduled to formally announce President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in November’s election.
After the Capitol was secured, Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump was confirmed by Congress in the early hours of Thursday.
Trump encouraged thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol at a Wednesday rally outside the White House to protest what were historically ceremonial procedures.
Trump returned to the White House after his speech. During the ensuing riots, Trump told supporters in a tweeted video “you have to go home now,” but he did not condemn the violence and continued to falsely claim that he had won the election.
Twitter later deleted that tweet and locked down the president’s account.
In a statement, Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Thursday, called on Trump to “strongly condemn the violence” and call the events “tragic and nauseating.”
Protesters enter the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory at 306-232 Electoral College over President Donald Trump.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
“This is unacceptable. These violent actions are unscrupulous and I implore the president and all elected officials to strongly condemn yesterday’s violence,” said Wolf.
“Any appearance of incitement to violence by an elected official goes against who we are as Americans. Every American has the right to protest peacefully, but once those protests turn violent, we must enforce our laws and bring those responsible to justice – regardless of political motivations. “
Wolf wrote in a tweet on Wednesday that those involved in the riots should be held accountable.
Other members of Trump’s cabinet also harshly rebuked the violence, but did not criticize the president.
In a series of tweets, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday evening called the storming of the Capitol “unacceptable”.
“Lawlessness and riots – here or around the world – is always unacceptable,” wrote the country’s top diplomat. “Let’s bring justice quickly to the criminals involved in these riots.”
Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said, “The violence against our nation’s Capitol is an excruciating assault on a fundamental institution of our democracy.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Justice Department sent hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and agents from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service to help quell protests.