Key takeaways from Wednesday's developments in the Capitol riots investigation
One week after the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol, federal law enforcement's dragnet to arrest the violent trespassers kicked into high gear. Nearly a dozen new known defendants were arrested or charged across the country, and the Justice Department made clear it was throwing its weight behind pursuing major cases that may amount to the most extensive counterterrorism probe since September 11, 2001. Police officers and swimmer charged. The new arrests on Wednesday brought the total number of new federal criminal cases to at least 32 by nightfall, with hundreds more individuals still being sought or investigated. Over the past week, investigators have tracked down some of the most notable faces from the riot. On Wednesday, a federal court made public charges against two police officers from rural Virginia who shared a photo on social media of themselves posing in front of a statue of a Revolutionary War general in the Capitol. Swimmer Klete Keller, who won Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008, was identifiable on video from the riot partly because of the Team USA jacket he wore, according to federal court records made public Wednesday. He also was charged for taking part in the violent trespass. Yet another infamous alleged rioter who had worn a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt on January 6, Robert Keith Packer, was arrested Wednesday in Newport News, Virginia. Many of the recently charged drew attention to themselves by posing in photographs that circulated on the internet or were identified (or identified themselves) on social media. Some have even admitted their involvement in the melee to the FBI. The unfolding new cases still largely target people caught in photo or videos.
Evidence suggests planning, law enforcement says. The attention is likely to pivot to cases with potentially more serious charges in the coming weeks. Evidence uncovered so far, including weapons and tactics seen on surveillance video, suggests a level of planning that has led investigators to believe the attack was not just a protest that spiraled out of control, a federal law enforcement official said. This has prompted more complex investigations, where public integrity and national security prosecutors have come together to approach the investigation like a sprawling terrorism probe. The presence of corruption prosecutors and agents is in part because of their expertise in financial investigations. "We are following the money," the official said. By Wednesday morning, the FBI reported that it had received more than 126,000 digital tips from the public regarding the attack on the Capitol and was tracking online chatter. Among the tips the FBI received are some that appear to show members of Congress with people who later showed up at the Capitol riot, two law enforcement officials said. This doesn't mean members of Congress and staff are under investigation, but the FBI is checking the veracity of the claims, the officials said.
Court filings reveal scary details of threats. A few cases have made clear the level of danger around the Capitol last week. In particular, two defendants, Cleveland Meredith Jr. and Lonnie Coffman, are alleged to have brought arsenals to the city with interest in joining a so-called war. Coffman received one of the first indictments from a grand jury related to the riot, and now faces 17 criminal counts, largely for possession of multiple weapons including ammunition, shotgun shells and various guns, including a shotgun, a rifle, three pistols and 11 Molotov cocktails without registration in Washington, DC, on January 6, according to the indictment. He is alleged to have parked his truck filled with bombs blocks from the Capitol building before Trump's rally, after living in the truck in DC for about a week. In court documents regarding Coffman, prosecutors revealed they found handwritten notes of an Abraham Lincoln quote about overthrowing "the men who pervert the Constitution," phone numbers for right-wing personalities including Sen. Ted Cruz and Sean Hannity, and a list labeling a federal judge a "bad guy" and a member of Congress as a Muslim. He has pleaded not guilty and is in jail awaiting trial.
https://www.weny.com/story/43170984/key-takeaways-from-wednesdays-developments-in-the-capitol-riots-investigation