Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather at the western entrance to the Capitol during a “Stop theft” protest outside the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.
Stephanie Keith | Reuters
Federal officials said on Tuesday that they hope to soon charge hundreds of people in connection with the Capitol riot.
Authorities added that they directed a task force to gather evidence for sedition and conspiracy cases.
“We are looking at cases of significant crimes linked to sedition and conspiracy,” said Michael Sherwin, United States acting attorney for the District of Columbia.
Sherwin said more than 70 people have so far been arrested in connection with the riot last Wednesday by a crowd of supporters of President Donald Trump, with another 100 or more criminal cases open.
Several of these cases involved relatively minor charges, but Sherwin said he expected the charges to be increased for some people.
And he said he expects the number of people arrested “to increase geometrically” in the coming weeks.
“We will focus on the most significant charges,” said Sherwin. “This is just the beginning.”
He said the charges being analyzed by the FBI and the Justice Department include willful murder, possession of weapons, civil rights violations, theft of correspondence, theft of computers and trespassing on property.
“You will be found, you will be accused,” Sherwin warned members of the crowd, many of whom would have returned to their homes across the country.
An FBI official said more than 100,000 digital files related to riot tips were sent to investigators.
The riot left at least four people dead, including a Capitol police officer. Two bombs were found near the Capitol complex, near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee.
The violence started after a Trump rally, where he, his son and lawyer Rudy Giuliani asked a crowd to fight him in his attempt to get Congress to reject Joe Biden’s election as president.
These are breaking news. Check back for updates.