- Federal prosecutor Michael Sherwin on Thursday described the arrests made during the United States Capitol riots.
- He said a man was arrested carrying 11 “ready to use” Molotov cocktails and a semi-automatic rifle.
- Capitol Police, in a separate statement, said its officers were attacked with metal tubes and chemicals.
- Sherwin said several of the 55 protesters so far accused have been arrested for firearm crimes.
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A man arrested during the US Capitol riots carried 11 Molotov cocktails and an assault rifle, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday.
Mike Sherwin, the acting United States attorney for the District of Columbia, gave a news conference describing the actions taken by prosecutors against members of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol building on Wednesday.
Sherwin told reporters that 15 federal charges were brought against people present in the riots for crimes, including entering the Capitol illegally, carrying firearms and stealing Congressional property.
Among those facing federal accusations was the unidentified man trapped with Molotov cocktails, a type of improvised explosive. Sherwin described the devices as “ready to use”.
—Kristine Phillips 🤦♀️ (@bykristinep) January 7, 2021
He said another 40 cases were opened in the DC Superior Court, on charges including theft and possession of a firearm.
“Make no mistake about it. It was a very dangerous situation. We are aggressively trying to resolve these cases as quickly as possible,” said Sherwin.
He also claimed that a large amount of material was stolen from Congressional offices during the riot, with potential implications for national security.
“Electronic items were stolen from the senators’ offices. Documents, materials have been stolen and we have to identify what has been done, mitigate this and this could have potential national security actions, ”said Sherwin.
“If there was damage, we don’t know the extent of it yet,” he added.
Sherwin said he could not provide much information about who was responsible for the improvised explosive devices found elsewhere in Washington DC on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee.
—FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) January 8, 2021
The FBI on Friday released grainy images of a masked individual suspected of being involved in planting both bombs and offered a $ 50,000 reward in exchange for information.
Capitol Police, in a separate statement on Thursday, said its officer was attacked with metal tubes and chemical irritants while trying to defend the Capitol.
Later on Thursday, authorities announced that Officer Brian D Sicknick died of injuries sustained in the disturbances. Death brings to five the number of fatalities caused by the riots.
According to statements obtained by CNN and The Daily Beast, a suspect in the Capitol disturbances is accused of repeatedly trying to punch a Capitol Police officer,
Another was reportedly arrested with a bulletproof vest, gun, gas mask, pocket knife, first aid kit, military rations and 25 rounds of ammunition.