Exclusive: FBI finds scant evidence U.S. Capitol attack was coordinated – sources

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Reuters) – The FBI has found little evidence that the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized conspiracy to overturn the results of the presidential election, according to four current and former law enforcement officers .

Although federal officials arrested more than 570 suspected participants, at the time the FBI believes the violence, according to the sources, was not centrally coordinated by far-right groups or prominent supporters of then-President Donald Trump, either directly in or on a regular basis through the extensive Investigations informed.

“Ninety to ninety-five percent of these are isolated cases,” said a former senior police officer who knew about the investigation. “Then you have maybe five percent of those militia groups that were more organized. But there wasn’t a big plan with Roger Stone and Alex Jones and all these people to storm the Capitol and take hostages.”

Stone, a veteran Republican agent and self-described “dirty trickster,” and Jones, founder of a conspiracy-driven radio show and webcast, are both Trump’s allies and participated in pro-Trump events in Washington on Jan. 5. the day before the uprising.

FBI investigators found cells of demonstrators, including supporters of the far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys groups, attempted to break into the Capitol. However, they found no evidence that the groups had serious plans of what to do if they made it inside, the sources said.

Shocking scenes from the siege of the US Capitol

Pro-Trump protesters storm the U.S. Capitol to contest the certification of the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election by the U.S. Congress in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, the United States, Jan. 6, 2021. Image taken on January 6, 2021. REUTERS / Ahmed Gaber – RC263L9P157M

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Prosecutors have charged 40 of these defendants with conspiracy and alleged that they did some level of planning prior to the attack.

They alleged that a Proud Boy leader had recruited members in the weeks leading up to the attack and asked them to stockpile bulletproof vests and other military equipment, and on January 6 they sent members with a plan to split into groups and have multiple entries into the To make Capitol.

So far, however, prosecutors have stayed away from more serious, politically charged allegations that the sources said were originally discussed by prosecutors, such as: B. seditious conspiracy or blackmail.

The FBI’s assessment may prove relevant to a Congressional investigation into how and by whom the events were organized that day.

Senior lawmakers have been briefed on the FBI investigation so far and find it credible, said a Democratic Congress source.

Chaos erupted on January 6 when the US Senate and House of Representatives met to confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the November presidential election.

It was the most violent attack on the Capitol since the 1812 War that forced lawmakers and Trump’s own Vice President Mike Pence to retreat to safety.

Four people died and another died the following day, and more than 100 police officers were injured.

TRUMPS SPEECH

Trump delivered an incendiary speech at a nearby rally just before the uprising, reiterating false claims that the 2020 elections were stolen and urging supporters to march on the Capitol to pressure lawmakers into Biden’s victory to refuse.

In public comments last month to the Democrat-led Congressional committee formed to investigate the violence, police officers injured in the chaos called on lawmakers to see if Trump helped instigate them. Some Democrats have said they want him to testify.

However, the FBI has so far found no evidence that he or anyone in his immediate vicinity was involved in organizing the violence, the four current and former police officers said.

According to the Justice Department, more than 170 people have so far been charged with bodily harm or obstruction of a police officer. This provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years.

However, a source said there has been little, if any, recent discussion by senior Justice Department officials bringing charges such as “seditious conspiracy” to accuse defendants of attempting to overthrow the government. They have also chosen not to bring charges of extortion, which is often brought against organized criminal gangs.

Senior officials discussed filing such charges in the weeks following the attack, the sources said.

Nor have prosecutors brought charges alleging that individuals or groups played a central role in organizing or leading the uprising. Law enforcement sources told Reuters that no such charges appeared pending.

Defendants had discussed their plans in the weeks leading up to the attack and worked together on the day themselves. However, prosecutors have not alleged that this activity was part of any wider conspiracy.

Some federal judges and legal experts have questioned whether the Justice Department is allowing the defendants too lightly.

Judge Beryl Howell asked prosecutors in July to explain why a defendant could plead on charges of misconduct with a maximum sentence of six months rather than on a heavier charge of serious felony.

Spokespersons for the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, which leads the charges on Jan. 6, declined to comment.

The congressional committee investigating the attack will speak to the FBI and other agencies as part of its investigation.

Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Kieran Murray and Daniel Wallis

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