The FBI is asking for the public’s help identifying individuals who were “actively instigating violence” in Washington, D.C., after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday.
The bureau is accepting tips and digital media, including photos and videos, depicting the rioting and the violence to help find those who possibly violated federal law.
“Our goal is to preserve the public’s constitutional right to protest by protecting everyone from violence and other criminal activity,” it said in a statement.
Four people died on Wednesday, including one woman who was shot by Capitol Police, amid protests and rioting by supporters of the president.
Police said three other people — a woman and two men — died after apparently suffering “separate medical emergencies” near the Capitol grounds.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said during a news conference that at least 14 officers sustained injuries during the rioting. One officer was “pulled into the crowd and assaulted,” resulting in “serious injuries” that required hospitalization. Another officer was also hospitalized.
As of 9:30 p.m., police had made 52 arrests, including four for carrying pistols without a license and one for possession of a prohibited weapon. Twenty-six of the 52 arrests were made on Capitol grounds, Contee said.
Police also recovered two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee.
The riot originally stalled a joint session of Congress meeting to certify the Electoral College votes officially affirming President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s victory.
After the Capitol was secured, shell-shocked lawmakers from both parties reconvened to formalize Biden’s win.
In the early morning hours of Thursday, Trump acknowledged the end to his term in the Oval Office.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” Trump said in the statement shared by Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff for communications. “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”
Scavino shared the statement on Twitter just before 4 a.m., because Facebook and Twitter temporarily suspended the president from his social media accounts.
Trump, who has not condemned the violence, had initially urged his supporters to go home in peace but also continued to insist falsely that he won the election.