Feds continue arrests in Capitol riot, will guard ‘closely’ against attack on Biden’s first speech to Congress

Federal prosecutors have charged more than 300 individuals for their roles in January’s Capitol riots, Department of Justice officials said Friday.

The announcement came during a press briefing on the threat of domestic terrorism by numerous federal law enforcement agencies, during which officials said that the threat of violence committed by Americans will be a top priority under the Biden administration.

“The first briefing that I received in my new job was about the effort to bring the perpetrators of the Jan. 6 attack to justice,” said John Carlin, the acting deputy attorney general who took office on Jan. 21. He added that roughly 280 of the more than 300 people charged for storming the U.S. Capitol last month in a violent riot have been arrested.

A senior FBI official noted that the top two domestic terrorism threats moving forward are racially motivated attacks as well as anti-government attacks.

The official noted that 2019 was the deadliest year for domestic violent extremists since the Oklahoma City bombing.

The officials also addressed the potential for an attack on President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress, after far-right groups threatened to blow up the Capitol when he speaks. The date of Biden’s speech has not yet been set.

“We are watching very closely for any reaction from any individual with any intent to commit an attack,” said the top FBI official.

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