SHOCKING new Capitol riot videos show the most horrifying attacks on cops as officers are seen being brutally bashed with bats and rods.
The FBI has released the footage to track down the “most violent offenders” after arresting more than 300 people who breached the iconic building.
Their plea to identify more rioters comes after two men were charged with assaulting hero cop Brian Sicknick with bear spray before he died.
“It has been two months since violent extremists breached the US Capitol and committed a litany of federal criminal acts,” the FBI said in a press release.
Its Washington Field Office has released “new information and videos of suspects in the most egregious [serious] assaults on federal officers during the riot on January 6, 2021, and is seeking the public’s help to identify them,” it added.
The FBI has already nabbed more than 300 people who allegedly took part in the riots.
“Of those, more than 65 were arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers.
“However, some of the most violent offenders have yet to be identified, including the 10 seen assaulting officers in the video footage we are releasing today,” the agency said.
“The FBI is asking for the public’s help in identifying 10 individuals suspected of being involved in some of the most violent attacks on officers.
“[They] were protecting the US Capitol and our democratic process on January 6,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
He added: “These individuals are seen on video committing egregious crimes against those who have devoted their lives to protecting the American people.
“We’re grateful to the members of the public who have already been a tremendous help in these investigations.
“We know it can be a difficult decision to report information about family, friends, or coworkers, but it is the right thing to do, and the FBI continues to need your help to identify these suspects.”
The FBI’s plea comes several days after two men – 32-year-old Julian Elie Khater of Pennsylvania and 39-year-old George Pierre Tanios of West Virginia – were reportedly arrested for assaulting police officer Brian Sicknick.
But they do not know yet whether spraying him with bear deterrent caused the cop’s death.
George Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Julian Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, were arrested last Sunday on various charges, including assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy and other offenses.
The men each made brief court appearances from jail via video conference on Monday, and will remain locked up pending future hearings.
A detention hearing was scheduled for Thursday for Tanios.
The idea that Sicknick died after being sprayed by a chemical irritant has emerged in recent weeks as a new theory in the case.
Investigators had initially believed that Sicknick died after being smashed on the head with a fire extinguisher, based on early statements from witnesses.
Sicknick served in the military before joining the Capitol police, and was deployed twice overseas.
He was a National Guard veteran who served in Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan.
Five people died, including a woman who was shot by a police officer inside the Capitol.
But many rioters are facing charges of injuring police officers.
Overwhelmed by thousands of rioters, they were attacked with bats, sprayed with irritants, punched and kicked, and rammed with metal gates meant to keep the insurrectionists from the Capitol.
The FBI’s bid to track down the most violent offenders coincides with the stalling of legislation to create an independent, bipartisan panel to investigate the insurrection.
Democrats and Republicans split over the scope and structure of a review that would revisit the deadly attack and assess former President Donald Trump‘s role.
The then president had encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” to stop the certification of Joe Biden‘s win.
Republicans say the investigation should not just focus on what led to the insurrection, but also on violence in the summer of 2020 during protests over police brutality.
This is a touchstone among GOP voters – but it’s been dismissed by Democrats who say it is a distraction from the real causes of the violent attack.
Failure to set up a commission would leave it to committees in the House and Senate to explore what went wrong on January 6, which is what some lawmakers prefer.
Those investigations are well underway on a bipartisan basis and have already identified problems with Capitol Police.
