Capitol riot arrests reach 500 including first charges against attack on media

The US Department of Justice has reached 500 arrests in cases connected to the Capitol riot.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on 24 June that the government has made 500 arrests, including 100 arrests involving the assault of a federal law enforcement officer, in a sprawling investigation spanning misdemeanor charges, felony assault and conspiracy, after a mob breached the US Capitol on 6 January, injured dozens of police officers and threatened members of Congress during a joint session to certify 2020’s presidential election results.

The Justice Department also announced the first arrest in a case involving a member of the press after allegedly assaulting law enforcement and spitting at and shoving reporters and camera operators, then trashing equipment.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers this month that the cases encompass “one of the most far-reaching and extensive” investigations in the agency’s history.

“We’ve already arrested close to 500, and we have hundreds of investigations that are still ongoing beyond those 500,” he told the House Oversight Committee on 15 June.

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