The Federal Bureau of Investigation held a press conference today in Washington, D.C. to give an update on its investigation into the events of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol, where rioters breached the security perimeter and committed acts of violence and destruction. One police officer died as a result of injuries sustained on the 6th, and a San Diego woman was shot and killed inside the Capitol as she attempted to climb through a shattered window leading to an inner office.

First to speak was the Assistant Director in charge of the D.C. field office of the FBI, Steven D’Antuono.

“To be clear, the brutality the American people watched with shock and disbelief on the 6th will not be tolerated by the FBI,” he stated. “The men and women of the FBI will leave no stone unturned in this investigation.

“In six days, we have opened over 160 case files and that’s the tip of the iceberg.”

D’Antuono thanked the American public for the help the FBI has received.

“We cannot do our job without the help of the American people. Since our call for tips, videos and pictures, we have received more than 100,000 pieces of digital media, which is absolutely fantastic.

“I want to stress that the FBI has a long memory and a broad reach.”

The FBI also has 56 field offices across the country, and all will be involved in following up leads. Anyone with any information that can be of help is asked to submit digital media at this link:

https://tips.fbi.gov/digitalmedia/aad18481a3e8f02

You can also call the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-‪800-225-5324).

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin also spoke.

“This is going to be a long-term investigation. Everyone is in this for the long-haul,” Sherman said.

The gamut of illegal activity they are looking at is “mind-blowing,” he said. That includes everything from simple trespass to felony murder.

Even though some of the initial charges may be misdemeanor trespass, that is only the start of the process, as prosecutors will look to adding significant felony charges such as sedition and conspiracy, with jail terms up to 20 years.

Photo from POOL/REUTERS