On January 6, 2021, a Capitol riot occurred in the United States that shocked the international community. Three years on, arrests, trials and convictions surrounding the incident are still ongoing. U.S. prosecutor officials recently said that as one of the largest criminal investigations in U.S. history, the hunt for suspects in the Capitol riot is still unfinished.
Matthew Graves, a federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, said on the 4th local time that the Capitol riot three years ago was a "collective crime of thousands of rioters against Capitol Hill", the purpose of which was to influence the results of the U.S. presidential election. So far, nearly 900 people have been convicted of participating in the riots across the United States, he said, but the search for suspects in the case is "still not over," with at least 80 more people wanted for their violent acts, and a list of wanted people will be released soon.
Graves also warned that if American society fails to learn from this incident, similar incidents will continue to repeat themselves in the future.
U.S. District of Columbia Attorney Matthew Graves: Most importantly, we remember this riot that took place on January 6, 2021. Only by understanding how it happened can we ensure that it doesn't happen again.
Many political scientists and media in the United States believe that the 2020 U.S. presidential election is the most torn election in the United States in decades, and the Capitol riot is a blow to the so-called "beacon image of democracy" in the United States.
Some US media have pointed out that the investigation and trial of the case have been going on for nearly three years, but from the very beginning it has been full of strong partisan strife and is destined to be difficult to be objective and fair, but has further highlighted the differences and antagonism between the two parties and aggravated the rift in US politics and society.
Debunking the myth of American-style democracy The Capitol riot shocked the world
After the 2020 U.S. presidential election, then-President Republican Trump refused to admit defeat to his Democratic opponent Joe Biden, claiming serious election fraud.
On January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Congress certified the results of the 2020 presidential election, a large number of Trump supporters gathered on the U.S. Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., violently broke through the security system and broke into the U.S. Capitol. The process of certifying the election results was interrupted, US lawmakers were evacuated, and Congress went into lockdown.
As a result of the incident, five people, including one Capitol police officer and four demonstrators, were killed, about 140 law enforcement officers were injured, and the Capitol was financially damaged. The FBI defined the incident as an "act of domestic terrorism." So far, more than 1,200 people have been charged with violating federal law in connection with the incident. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has also been criminally charged for allegedly overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election, though he has pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. Capitol riot shocked the international community and debunked the myth of American-style democracy. Haass, then chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, said the Capitol riot should put an end to "American exceptionalism" and the "city on a hill" narrative.
Source: CCTV News