The Department of Justice said in a court filing Friday that it expects to charge at least 100 more people in connection to the Capitol breach on Jan. 6.
“The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol Attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence,” prosecutors wrote in their filing while requesting a 60-day delay in a case against several alleged Oath Keepers members who are charged in connection to the incident.
“While most of the cases have been brought against individual defendants, the government is also investigating conspiratorial activity that occurred prior to and on January 6, 2021,” the court documents said. “Some of the conspiratorial activity being investigated, such as the activity under investigation in this matter, involves a large number of participants.”
Prosecutors said that officials have executed around 900 total search warrants in nearly every state and the District of Columbia, adding that about 14 law enforcement agencies were involved in response to the Jan. 6 breach.
They noted that more than 15,000 hours of surveillance and body-camera footage is being reviewed, 1,600 devices have been confiscated, “hundreds of searches of electronic communication providers” have been carried out by law enforcement, and more than 200,000 tips have been received so far.
Following the breach, officials increased security around Capitol Hill, deployed the National Guard, and erected barb wire fencing.
Former President Donald Trump was impeached in the House over his speech to supporters days after the incident. The Senate, however, acquitted him in February.
This week, the FBI stepped up its search for a suspect who on Jan. 5 allegedly planted explosive devices near the Democratic and Republican committee headquarters in Washington, releasing a new video on Tuesday and calling on the public to watch it and submit any tips that may lead to that person’s arrest.
The bombs, which were later defused by law enforcement, were placed sometime between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on the night before Jan. 6.
Although more than 300 people and counting have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 breach at the Capitol, the FBI has still not managed to identify the suspect who planted the bombs.
The FBI has previously released photos of the suspect, who can be seen wearing a gray hoodie and black and light-gray Nike Air Max Speed shoes. “The FBI is asking the public to watch the videos of this person—you may recognize their gait, body language, or mannerisms,” the bureau said in its announcement that it was making the video footage public.
