FBI Chief: Capitol Attack, Domestic Terrorism

“It was a criminal act, a behavior that we at the FBI see as internal terrorism. “Such a thing has no place in our democracy and tolerance would be a mockery of the rule of law,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement that preceded the senators’ questions.

Mr Wray said the violent attack was not “an isolated act” and that the highest law enforcement agency since 2019 “has elevated racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism to the highest level of threat, just as “considers the threat posed by ISIS (Islamic State) and violent internal extremists.”

He added that the FBI does not focus on ideology when investigating internal terrorism. Mr Wray’s testimony comes amid concerns that the FBI was not adequately prepared for the riots, despite warnings a few days before the attack. Lawmakers have put Mr. Wray in front of tough questions to understand how the FBI is handling national security threats from white nationalists and violent extremists within the country, and whether the agency is properly equipped to address it. the problem.

President Donald Trump called on thousands of supporters who had come to Washington on Jan. 6 for a march to save America, he said, urging his supporters to turn to the Capitol as the process of certifying victory takes place. of Mr. Biden in the election.

“You will have an illegitimate president. “You will have it and we cannot allow that to happen,” Trump said in a speech on January 6. “We will fight to the end and if we do not, we will not have a homeland,” he added. Hundreds of supporters of Mr. Trump stormed the Capitol building and stormed in, killing five people.

Mr Wray has been largely out of the public eye since the violent mob attacked the Capitol. His testimony before Congress on Tuesday marks his first public appearance since the attack./VOA

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