WASHINGTON (AP) – As supporters of President Donald Trump crowded outside the Capitol last week and sang the national anthem, a line of men wearing olive helmets and bulletproof vests struggled up the stairs. marble in a single row, each holding the collar of the jacket in front.
The formation, known as the “Ranger File,” is a standard operating procedure for a combat team that is “piling up” to breach a building – instantly recognizable to any US soldier or marine who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a scary sign that many at the forefront of the crowd that invaded the seat of American democracy had military training or were trained by those who did.
An Associated Press analysis of public records, social media posts and videos shows that at least 21 current members or ex-servicemen or US law enforcement officers have been identified as being at or near the Capitol riot, with more than a dozen others under investigation, but not yet identified. In many cases, those who invaded the Capitol seemed to employ tactics, body armor and technology, such as two-way radio headsets that were similar to those of the police themselves they were facing.
Local extremism experts have warned for years about the efforts of far-right militants and white supremacist groups to radicalize and recruit people with military and police training, and say the January 6 uprising that left five dead saw some of their worst fears perceived.
“ISIS and Al Qaeda would be drooling over having someone with the training and experience of a U.S. military officer,” said Michael German, a former FBI agent and a member of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. “These people have training and capabilities that far exceed what any foreign terrorist group can do. Foreign terrorist groups do not have members with badges ”.
Among the most prominent to emerge is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and a decorated Texas combat veteran who was arrested after being photographed wearing a helmet and armor on the Senate floor, holding a pair of zippered handcuffs.
Another San Diego Air Force veteran was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer while trying to jump over a barricade near the City Hall. A retired SEAL, one of the elite special warfare operators in the armed forces, posted a video on Facebook about his Ohio home trip to the rally and apparently approving the invasion of “our building, our home”.
Two policemen from a small town in Virginia, both ex-infantrymen, were arrested by the FBI after posting a selfie of themselves inside the Capitol, one of them pointing his middle finger at the camera.
Also under scrutiny is an active psychological war captain from North Carolina, which organized three buses full of people who headed to Washington for the “Save America” rally in support of the president’s false claim that the November election was stolen from him.
Although the Pentagon declined to provide an estimate of how many other active duty soldiers are under investigation, the top military leaders were concerned enough before President-elect Joe Biden took office that they issued a highly unusual warning to all service members. this week that the right to freedom of expression does not give anyone the right to commit violence.
The head of the United States Capitol Police was forced to resign after the violation and several officers were suspended pending the outcome of investigations into his conduct, including one who posed for a selfie with a rowdy and another who was seen wearing one of the clothes Trump red flags “Make America great again” caps.
AP’s analysis of hundreds of videos and photos of the insurrectionary rebellion shows dozens of people mixed up in the crowd who wore military-style equipment, including helmets, bulletproof vests, backpacks and two-way radios. Dozens carried bear spray cans, baseball bats, hockey sticks and pro-Trump flags attached to strong masts used later to beat police officers.
A close examination of the group going up the steps to help breach the Capitol shows that they wore military-style patches that said “MILITIA” and “GUARDIAN-VIM”. Others wore badges and insignias representing far-right militant groups, including the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters and several self-styled state militias.
The Oath Keepers, who claim to have thousands of law enforcement officers and current and former military veterans, have become present in protests and counter-protests across the country, often heavily armed with semi-automatic carbines and tactical shotguns.
Stewart Rhodes, an Army veteran who founded Oath Keepers in 2009 as a reaction to Barack Obama’s presidency, had been saying weeks before the Capitol rebellion that his group was preparing for civil war and was “armed, prepared to enter if the president calls us. ”
Adam Newbold, the retired Navy SEAL from Lisbon, Ohio, whose military career spanning more than two decades includes several combat prizes for value, said in a January 5 video on Facebook: “We are very prepared, very capable and skilled patriots ready for a fight. “
He later posted a follow-up video deleted after the riot, saying he was “proud” of the assault.
Newbold, 45, did not respond to several messages from the AP, but in an interview with Task & Purpose, he denied joining the Capitol. He added that, because of the consequences of the videos, he resigned from a program that helps prepare potential SEAL candidates.
Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Larry Rendall Brock Jr., of Texas, was released to confinement at home on Thursday after a prosecutor alleged that the former fighter pilot had handcuffs on the Senate floor because he planned to take hostages. .
“He intends to kidnap, contain, maybe try, maybe execute members of the United States government,” said assistant attorney Jay Weimer. “His previous experience and training makes him even more dangerous.”
Army commanders in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are investigating the possible involvement of Captain Emily Rainey, the 30-year-old psychological operations officer and Afghan war veteran who told the AP that she traveled with 100 other people to Washington to “Face electoral fraud. ”She insisted that she acted within Army regulations and that no one in her group entered the Capitol or broke the law.
“I was an ordinary citizen and did everything right and within my rights,” said Rainey.
More than 110 people have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol riot so far, ranging from curfew violations to serious federal crimes related to theft and possession of weapons.
Brian Harrell, who served as assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security until last year, said it is “obviously problematic” when “extremist bandits” have a military and police record.
“Many have specialized training, some have seen the combat and almost all have been fed misinformation and propaganda from illegitimate sources,” said Harrell. “They are driven by conspiracy theories, they feel like something is being stolen from them, and they are not interested in the debate. This is a powder keg cocktail waiting to explode. “
The FBI is warning about the potential for further bloodshed. In an internal bulletin released on Sunday, the bureau warned of plans for armed protests in all 50 capitals and in Washington, DC, in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, police departments in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and Philadelphia announced that they were investigating whether members of their agencies participated in the Capitol rebellion. The Philadelphia area transit authority is also investigating whether seven of its officers who attended the Trump rally in Washington broke any laws.
A Texas sheriff announced last week that he reported one of his lieutenants to the FBI after she posted pictures of him on social media with a crowd outside the Capitol. Bexar County sheriff Javier Salazar said that Lieutenant Roxanne Mathai, a 46-year-old jailer, had the right to attend the rally, but is investigating whether she may have broken the law.
One of the posts that Mathai shared was a photo that appeared to have been taken on January 6 from among the mass of Trump supporters outside the Capitol, with the caption: “I will not lie. … besides my children, this was, in fact, the best day of my life. And it’s not over yet. “
A lawyer for Mathai, mother and longtime resident of San Antonio, said she attended Trump’s rally but never entered the Capitol.
In Houston, police chief Art Acevedo said an 18-year-old veteran of the department suspected of joining the Capitol-violating crowd has been put on leave and will face a disciplinary hearing.
“There is no excuse for criminal activity, especially that of a police officer,” said Acevedo. “I can’t tell you how angry I am at the thought of a policeman, and other policemen, thinking they are going to invade the Capitol.”
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Bleiberg reported from Dallas and LaPorta in Delray Beach, Florida. Robert Burns and Mike Balsamo in Washington; Jim Mustian, Michael R. Sisak and Thalia Beaty in New York; Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland; Juan A. Lozano in Houston; Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia; Martha Bellisle in Seattle; and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed.
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Follow Associated Press investigative reporter Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck; Jake Bleiberg at http://twitter.com/JZBleiberg; and James LaPorta at http://twitter.com/JimLaPorta
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Contact the AP global investigative team at [email protected]