WASHINGTON (AP) – As President Donald Trump’s supporters gathered outside the Capitol last week and sang the national anthem, a row of men with olive helmets and armor purposefully turned up the marble stairs in a line with one file the jacket collar of the one ahead.
The formation, known as the ‘Ranger File’, is a standard procedure for a combat team breaking into a building – immediately recognizable to any U.S. soldier or navy who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a cold sign that many at the forefront of the mob that stormed the seat of American democracy had military training or were trained by those who did.
A Associated Press review of public records, posts and videos on social media shows that at least 21 current or former members of the U.S. military or law enforcement have been identified as at or near the Capitol riot, with more than a dozen others investigating be, but not yet called. In many cases, those who stormed the Capitol apparently used tactics, armor, and technology, such as two-way radio heads similar to those of the police they confronted.
Experts on homemade extremism have warned for years about attempts by far-right militants and white supremacist groups to radicalize and recruit people with military and law enforcement training, and say the January 6 uprising that left five people dead has some of its worst effects saw. realize fears.
“ISIS and al-Qaeda would drool over someone with the training and experience of a U.S. military officer,” said Michael German, a former FBI agent and a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University , said. “These people have training and abilities that are far greater than any foreign terrorist group can do. Foreign terrorist groups have no members who have badges. ”
Among the most prominent to emerge is a retired lieutenant colonel and decorated combat veteran from Texas who was arrested after being photographed on the floor of the Senate wearing a helmet and armor, with a pair of shackles with zipper.
Another San Diego Air Force veteran was shot dead by a Capitol police officer as she tried to jump through a barrier near the living room. A retired Navy SEAL, among the best elite warriors in the military, posted a Facebook video about the journey from his home in Ohio to the protest and the apparent approval of the invasion of ‘our building, our home’.
Two police officers from a small town in Virginia, both former infantrymen, were arrested by the FBI after placing a selfie of themselves in the Capitol, one with his middle finger to the camera.
A North Carolina psychological warfare captain is also being discussed during active duty, directing three busloads of people to Washington for the “Save America” trek in support of the president’s false claim that the November election was stolen from him. is. Judges across the country have repeatedly dismissed cases that dispute the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, an ally of Trump, said there was no sign of widespread fraud.
While the Pentagon declined to give an estimate of how many other active-duty military personnel are being investigated, the Army’s top leaders were concerned enough before the inauguration of President Joe Biden that they issued an extremely unusual warning this week. addressed to all service members. the right to freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to commit violence.
The head of the U.S. Capitol Police was forced to resign following the offense. Several officials have been suspended pending the outcome of investigations into their behavior, including one who took a selfie with a riot and another who was seen wearing one of Trump’s red “Make America Great Again” caps.
The AP’s review of hundreds of videos and photos of the riots shows how many people were mixed in the crowd wearing military equipment, including helmets, armor, backpacks and two-way radios. Dozens carry containers of bear spray, baseball bats, hockey sticks and pro-Trump flags attached to sturdy poles, which were later used by police officers.
A close examination of the group taking steps to violate the Capitol shows that they wore military patches that read “MILITIA” and “OATHKEEPER.” Others wore patches and badges representing far-right militant groups, including the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, and various self-formed state militias.
The oath-takers, who claim to count thousands of current and former law enforcement officers and military veterans as members, have become a weapon in protests and counter-protests across the country, often heavily armed with semi-automatic carbines and tactical shotguns.
Stewart Rhodes, a veteran of the army that founded the Oath Keepers in 2009 in response to Barack Obama’s presidency, said weeks before the Capitol riots that his group was preparing for a civil war and ‘armed , was willing to go in. if the president calls us. ”
Adam Newbold, the retired Navy SEAL from Lisbon, Ohio, whose military career has included several combat awards for more than two decades, said in a Facebook video on January 5: ‘We are just very prepared, very capable and very capable patriots ready for a fight. ‘
He later posted a follow-up video that has since been removed after the riot, saying he was “proud” of the assault.
Newbold, 45, did not respond to several messages from the AP, but in an interview with the Task & Purpose website, he denied ever entering the Capitol. He added that due to the consequences of the videos, he resigned from a program that helps prepare potential SEAL applicants.
Army commanders at Fort Bragg in North Carolina are investigating the possible involvement of Capt. Emily Rainey, the 30-year-old psychological operations officer and war veteran in Afghanistan, who told the AP that she traveled with 100 others to Washington to “stand up against election fraud.” She insisted she acted according to army regulations and that no one in her group entered the Capitol or violated the law.
“I was a private citizen and did everything right and within my rights,” Rainey said.
The retired air force-lt.col. Larry Rendall Brock, jr. From Texas, was locked in the house on Thursday after a prosecutor alleged that the former fighter pilot had handcuffs on the Senate floor because he was planning to take hostages.
“He intended to kidnap, restrain, perhaps try to execute members of the U.S. government,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer. “His previous experience and training make him all the more dangerous.”
More than 110 people have so far been arrested on charges related to the riot in the Capitol, ranging from violating the curfew to serious federal crimes related to theft and gun ownership.
Brian Harrell, who until last year served as assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security, said it was “obviously problematic” when ‘extremist bad actors’ have military and law enforcement backgrounds.
“Many had specialized training, some saw fights and almost all got disinformation and propaganda from illegal sources,” Harrell said. ‘They’re fueled by conspiracy theories, feel like something’s stolen from them, and they’re not interested in debates. It’s a powder keg cocktail waiting to blow. ”
The FBI warns of the possibility of more bloodshed. In an internal bulletin issued Sunday, the bureau warned of plans for armed protests in all 50 capitals and in Washington, DC, in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, police departments in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and Philadelphia have announced that they are investigating whether members of their agencies participated in the Capitol riot. The Philadelphia area transit authority is also investigating whether seven of its police officers who attended Trump’s demonstration in Washington violated any laws.
A Texas sheriff announced last week that he had reported one of his lieutenants to the FBI after posting photos of herself on social media with a crowd outside the Capitol. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Lieutenant Roxanne Mathai, a 46-year-old jailer, has the right to attend the protest, but he is investigating whether she may have broken the law.
One of the messages Mathai shared was a photo apparently taken on January 6 among the mass of Trump supporters outside the Capitol, with the caption: ‘Not gonna lie. … apart from my kids, it was indeed the best day of my life. And it’s not over yet. ”
A lawyer for Mathai, a mother and longtime San Antonio resident, said she attended the Trump rally but never entered the Capitol.
In Houston, Art Acevedo, police chief, said an 18-year-old veteran of the department suspected of joining the mob that violated the Capitol is being placed on leave and will receive a disciplinary hearing.
“There is no excuse for criminal activity, especially not from a police officer,” Acevedo said. “I can not tell you the anger over the thought that a police officer and other police officers think they are going to storm the Capitol.”
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Bleiberg reports from Dallas and LaPorta in Delray Beach, Florida. Robert Burns and Mike Balsamo in Washington; Jim Mustian, Michael R. Sisak and Thalia Beaty in New York; Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland; Juan A. Lozano in Houston; Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia; Martha Bellisle in Seattle; and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles contributed.
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Follow Associated Press Investigative Reporter Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck; Jake Bleiberg at http://twitter.com/JZBleiberg; and James LaPorta at http://twitter.com/JimLaPorta
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Contact AP’s global investigation team at [email protected]