US Capitol Riots: Violence could be repeated again warns officer responsible for security on January 6
The police officer responsible for security at the United States Capitol during the protests in January 2021 has warned that the violence could be repeated.
Speaking to Sky News on the second anniversary of a day which shocked the nation, Chief Steven Sund said: “My concern is the failures, the security failures in themselves, that occurred on January 6th could result in another attack, whether it’s domestic, whether it’s foreign.
“We missed all the signals that should have told us this was coming. The security structure failed miserably.”
Mr Sund resigned in the hours after the protests. Five of his officers died and 140 were seriously injured in the violence.
As head of the police force with jurisdiction over Capitol Hill, he was criticised for his failings.
Two years on, he says intelligence failures, from within his department and beyond it, coupled with his own rejected requests for back-up, made his job impossible.
“Intelligence was a disaster. We now know that significant intelligence existed, saying people were coordinating an attack on the Capitol, that didn’t get into the right hands. I found out about that after January 6th.”
“There has to be lessons learned from January 6th that apply to a future event,” he said.
Mr Sund insisted he did not want to be drawn on the political divisions exposed by the events of January 6th but did offer one pointed remark.
“We’re a very divided country right now and I blame politicians on both sides. The rhetoric, the lack of being able to just work with your fellow politician just sets a standard that Americans are just mimicking.
“They need to grow up and act like adults.”
‘My most visceral memory was…I look up and see this crowd of hundreds coming’
Reflecting on the events of that January afternoon, Mr Sund said: ‘It was a tough, tough, dark day. My most visceral memory was 12:53 p.m. when I was in the command centre… and somebody yells ‘there’s a large crowd approaching our West front’. And I look up and I see this crowd of hundreds coming across Garfield Circle and then another crowd coming across Peace Circle, approaching our line of officers right there at the walkways.”
He continued: “What struck me was just how quickly those crowds turned violent with my officers on those barricades, lashing out at them, pulling at the barricades, pulling the officers down and starting to punch at the officers. I’ve never seen that type of response in my life. It was extremely violent and I felt like I had a shock go through my body that sometimes I still feel today.”
Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber at the Capitol
Describing his request for back-up, he says: “While we’re under attack, I go and ask for National Guard and faced a 71 minute delay while the Capitol Police board, the two Sergeants at Arms, discussed making a decision….”
“Then I have to wait three-and-a-half hours for the National Guard to arrive because the Pentagon, just like the Sergeant at Arms, doesn’t like the look of National Guard troops at the Capitol…..” he says.
“So they delay and delay and delay. We had 150 National Guard troops deployed on the streets of Washington DC, with all the riot gear, and they wouldn’t move them the half mile to two miles to tell me.”
The former police chief expands on his criticism, specifically of the Department of Defense, in his book ‘Courage Under Fire”.
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‘I think about it every day’
Responding to the criticism, Pentagon officials refer to a published timeline detailing military planning on the day.
At the White House, the anniversary of the day was marked with a small ceremony.
President Biden awarded Presidential Citizens Medals to individuals who defended the Capitol and others who the White House credits for ‘courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation’. They included police officers, election workers, as well as officials at the state and local level.
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“I miss being a police officer…” Mr Sund said, sitting on the steps outside the Capitol.
“I miss being down here. I love the men and women of the Capitol Police. I think about it… I think about it every day. I don’t know if I’ll ever put on a badge and uniform again, but I do miss it. And it did… it has had a big impact on me, but it had a big impact on every single officer that was down here that day.”
US
US blocks Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials from United Nations’ annual meeting in New York
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials have been blocked from attending September’s annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has revoked the US visas of delegates from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and denied others from applying for one.
It is the latest step by Donald Trump’s administration to target Palestinians with visa restrictions, and follows the suspension of a programme to allow injured children from Gaza to receive treatment in the US.
Mahmoud Abbas addressed the general assembly in 2024, but is barred from next month’s meeting. Pic: Reuters
“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” a statement from the US State Department said.
It added that, to be considered partners for peace, both groups “must consistently repudiate terrorism, and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised by the PLO”.
Offensive will cause ‘intolerable deaths’
Several US allies, including France, Malta, and Australia have announced plans to recognise Palestine as a state at September’s United Nations General Assembly. Canada and the UK will too, unless Israel meets certain conditions.
Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone on Friday.
The army launched a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.
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Thick smoke rises from Gaza City after Israeli strikes
Foreign ministers from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain released a joint statement saying the military operations in Gaza City will cause “intolerable deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians”.
Gaza latest: Israel’s Gaza City offensive condemned
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering in Gaza City while enduring famine.
An Israeli armoured vehicle in northern Gaza on Friday. Pic: AP
Palestinians ride a truck carrying humanitarian aid in Gaza City. Pic: AP
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Riyad Mansour, said Mr Abbas had planned to lead the delegation to the UN meetings and was expected to address the general assembly at the general debate, which begins on 23 September.
He was also expected to attend a high-level meeting co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on 22 September about a two-state solution, a broad idea involving Israel coexisting with an independent Palestinian state.
The State of Palestine is an observer member of the UN, meaning it can speak at meetings but not vote on resolutions.
The State of Palestine cannot vote on UN resolutions. Pic: AP
US decision ‘contravenes international law’
The Palestinian Authority “expressed its deep regret and astonishment” at the visa decision, calling it “a violation of US commitments” as the host of the UN, and claiming it “contravenes international law”.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body would be seeking clarification in the “hope that this will be resolved”.
Hundreds of diplomats left when Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu began speaking at the general assembly in 2024. Pic: Reuters
The State Department said that the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the UN, comprising officials who are permanently based there, would not be included in the restrictions.
Under a 1947 UN agreement, the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York.
But Washington has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
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The death toll in Gaza has now risen to 63,025, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
It also reported five more malnutrition-related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number during the war to 322, with 121 of them children.
US
Boy, 8, and girl, 10, killed in US Catholic school shooting named – as father brands attacker ‘a coward’
The families of two children killed in the US Catholic school shooting have said their “hearts are broken” and branded the attacker a “coward”.
Fletcher Merkel who was eight and 10-year-old Harper Moyski were killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.
Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.
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New details released of US school shooting
‘Our hearts are broken’
Harper’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, remembered her as “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her”.
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” their statement said.
They urged leaders and communities to “take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”
“Change is possible, and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” the statement added.
The family of Fletcher Merkel said there was a ‘hole in our hearts’. Pic: Family handout/AP
‘Fletcher loved his family’
In a statement reported by Sky’s US partner network NBC News, Fletcher’s father Jesse Merkel blamed the “coward” killer for why the boy’s family can’t “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming”.
He said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.
“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”
Mr Merkel also praised “the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church”.
“Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful,” he added.
Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters
Mayor calls for assault weapon ban
It comes after Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons, a day after the deadly school shooting.
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Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban
“Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it. It’s on all of us to see this through,” the mayor said at a news conference. “We need a statewide and a federal ban on assault weapons.
“We need a statewide and a federal ban on high-capacity magazines. There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload.
“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”
Meanwhile, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara gave an update on the investigation, saying the suspect had fired 116 rifle rounds into the church.
“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added, before saying the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.
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Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at an earlier news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.
One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.
Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.
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