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FBI says range of crimes 'unmatched' in Capitol riots

The FBI said Tuesday, hundreds of criminal cases are expected, charging individuals involved in the Capitol riots with everything from theft to sedition.

Officials with the FBI and Justice Department updated the public Tuesday afternoon on charges related to last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

New information is emerging amid reports of increased violence planned ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration. Steven D'Antuono of the FBI's Washington Field Office said they have opened at least 160 case files in 6 days as the agency continues to arrest and bring charges against individuals involved in the Capitol riot.  

In the investigation, the agency has been poring through thousands of pieces of digital media from Jan. 6. To submit photos and videos from the riot you can go to FBI.gov/USCapitol to give the agency that evidence. 

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said the grounds in and outside of the U.S. Capitol was still considered, essentially, a crime scene. The FBI is expecting charges and arrests to come out as the bureau works with state governments, and as Sherwin said during the briefing, they are "in for the long haul" with the investigation. 

The FBI said they have assigned specific prosecutors in their office to deal with assaults on members of the media which occurred at Wednesday's Capitol riot as well.

According to Sherwin, the "range of criminal conduct" is unmatched, as far as the amount of different crimes committed during the Capitol raid on Jan. 6.

The FBI recently warned officials of plans for armed protests at most state Capitols and in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to the inauguration, stoking fears of more bloodshed after last week's deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol.

On Tuesday, U.S. Capitol Police released photos of a suspect they say is wanted in connection to the death of U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick during last week’s Capitol riots.

According to a report in The Washington Post, the FBI had warned before last week's attack that extremists were preparing to come to Washington, to attack Congress and engage in “war.”

The report says the warning was issued internally by the FBI’s field office in Norfolk, Virginia, a day before the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The warning directly contradicts statements from the Justice Department and FBI officials that they had no intelligence to suggest a storming of the Capitol.

The Post says the memo described how people had been sharing maps of the Capitol’s tunnels and discussing rallying points to meet up to travel to Washington. The newspaper reported that the document detailed posts calling for violence, including that “Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Antifa slave soldiers being spilled.”

It also said to “go there ready for war.”

Credit: AP
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, in Washington.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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