Federal authorities across the country are working to track down those involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol, revealing that dozens face federal charges while several others face charges in local court in Washington, D.C.
American authorities have arrested several individuals who participated in the storming of the Capitol building, including two men who appeared in global media. Among those arrested is Adam Johnson, who was taken into custody at his home in Florida; he was seen in photos carrying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's lectern. Jacob Chansley, who was spotted in the Capitol building wearing face paint and a horned helmet, has also been arrested. Another individual facing charges is Derek Evans, a delegate in the West Virginia legislature, who has stated that he will resign from his seat.
Additionally, the "Times of Israel" revealed that among the rioters who stormed the Capitol was the son of a judge in New York and a former president of the "National Council of Young Israel." The site reported that Aaron Mostofsky, son of Kings County Supreme Court Judge Steven Shlomo Mostofsky, entered the Capitol building, and his father was a former president of the "National Council of Young Israel," an Orthodox Jewish organization that has openly expressed support for former President Donald Trump. Aaron Mostofsky told the "New York Post" that he wanted to "express his opinion as a free American," claiming that "this election was stolen from President Trump." He added, "We were cheated; I don’t think only 75 million people voted for Trump; I believe the number is closer to 85 million."
Five people died during the Capitol storming, including a Capitol police officer. Pope Francis stated in remarks to a local Italian channel yesterday, "I was amazed because they are very disciplined people regarding democracy."
Last Wednesday, the United States witnessed the storming and rioting at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, rejecting the presidential election results and attempting to block the certification of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden's victory. These destructive actions resulted in the deaths of three protesters and a woman who was shot during clashes with security personnel, along with a Capitol police officer; 52 individuals involved in the storming of the building were arrested.
The demonstration was organized in Washington by Trump supporters in opposition to the election results, as he called them to head towards the Capitol. Events escalated around the Capitol after Trump urged his supporters to "not give up and refuse to acknowledge defeat." Several Republican leaders and government officials have stated that they believe Donald Trump should be removed from office before the end of his term on January 20.
Twitter announced the permanent closure of Trump's account on the platform three days after his supporters stormed the Capitol, stating that Trump's use of the phrase "American patriots" in one of his tweets to describe his supporters could be interpreted as support for those who led or engaged in violence at the Capitol on January 6. The President-elect, Joe Biden, described Trump's absence from the inauguration ceremony on January 20 as "a good thing," responding to Trump's earlier announcement that he would not attend Biden's inauguration after the Congress certified his electoral victory.
Biden considered the Capitol storming as "one of the darkest days in our nation's history," adding that it constituted "an unprecedented assault on our democracy." He elaborated: "What we witnessed was not opposition; it was not disorder; it was not protest; it was chaos. They were not protesters; do not dare to call them demonstrators; they were rioters… domestic terrorists." He emphasized that Trump is not above the law concerning the events at the Capitol.
Meanwhile, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a 15-day extension of the state of emergency following the riots. The mayor stated that those who stormed the Capitol "sought to disrupt the work of Congress concerning the acceptance and certification of electoral votes." It is noteworthy that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence condemned the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol while Congress was in the process of counting the electoral votes that would confirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
