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As supporters of President Donald Trump rallied in front of the Capitol last week and sang the national anthem, a row of men in olive green helmets and bulletproof vests They walked purposefully up the marble stairs in single file, each man holding the collar of the front mans jacket.

The formation, known as Ranger File, is standard operating procedure for a combat team that is stacking to breach a building, instantly recognizable by any US soldier or Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a chilling sign that many in the vanguard of those who broke into the seat of American democracy had military training or they were trained by those who did.

An Associated Press review of public records, social media posts, and videos shows that at least 21 current or former members of the U.S. military or law enforcement have been identified in or near the Capitol riots, with more than a dozen more under investigation, but not yet named. In many cases, those who stormed the Capitol appeared to use tactics, bulletproof vests and technology, such as two-way radio headsets, similar to those of the same police they were fighting.

Local extremism experts have warned for years about the efforts of militants from far right and white supremacist groups to radicalize and recruit people with military and police training, and they say that the insurrection of January 6 that left five dead lived some of the worst fears ever made.

ISIS and al-Qaida would go crazy to have someone with the training and experience of an American military officer, said Michael German, a former FBI agent and a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. These people have training and capabilities that far exceed what any foreign terrorist group can do. Foreign terrorist groups do not have members with badges.

Among the most prominent that emerge is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and decorated combat veteran from Texas who was arrested after being photographed in a helmet and body armor on the Senate floor, holding a pair of zip-lock handcuffs.

Other San Diego Air Force veteran She was shot and killed by a Capitol Police officer while trying to break through a barricade near the House chamber. A retired Navy SEAL, one of the armys most elite special warfare operators, posted a video on Facebook about traveling from his Ohio home to the rally and apparently approving the invasion of our building, our home.

Bloomberg

Two cops from a small town in VirginiaBoth former infantrymen were arrested by the FBI after posting a selfie of themselves inside the Capitol, one showing his middle finger at the camera.

It is also under scrutiny an active duty psychological warfare captain from North Carolina who organized three buses full of people heading to Washington for the Save America rally in support of President Trumps false claim that the November elections were stolen from him.

While the Pentagon declined to provide an estimate of how many other active duty military personnel are under investigation, top military leaders were sufficiently concerned prior to the inauguration of the president-elect Joe Biden who issued a very unusual warning to all service members this week that the right to freedom of expression does not give anyone the right to commit acts of violence.

The Chief of the United States Capitol Police was forced to resign after the infraction and several officers have been suspended pending the outcome of investigations into his conduct, including one who posed for a selfie with a troublemaker and another who was seen wearing one of the pro-Trump red caps with the message Make America Great Again.

The AP review of hundreds of videos and photos of the insurrectionary riot shows dozens of people mixed in the crowd who wore military-style gear, including helmets, bulletproof vests, backpacks, and two-way radios. Dozens carried bear spray cans, baseball bats, hockey sticks and pro-Trump flags attached to sturdy poles that were then used to beat up police officers.

Close examination of the group marching up the stairs to help enter the Capitol shows that they wore military-style patches that read MILITIA and OATHKEEPER. Others wore patches and badges representing far-right militant groups, including Proud Boys, Three percenters and several self-styled state militias.

The Oath Keepers, which claims to have as members thousands of current and former law enforcement officers and military veterans, have become a regular fixture in protests and counter-protests across the country, often heavily armed with semi-automatic carbines and tactical shotguns.

Stewart Rhodes, an Army veteran who founded The Oath Keepers in 2009 in reaction to Barack Obamas presidency, had been saying for weeks before the Capitol riots that his group he was preparing for a civil war and he was armed, ready to enter if the president calls us.

Adam Newbold, the retired Lisbon, Ohio Navy SEAL whose military career spanning more than two decades includes multiple combat awards for bravery, said in a Jan.5 Facebook video: We are very prepared, very capable and very skilled patriots ready for a fight.

He later posted a deleted follow-up video after the riot saying he was proud of the assault.

Newbold, 45, did not respond to multiple AP messages, but in an interview with the Task & Purpose website, he denied entering the Capitol. He added that due to the consequences of the videos, he quit a program that helps prepare potential SEAL applicants.

Bloomberg

He Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Larry Rendall Brock Jr., from Texas, was released Thursday after a prosecutor alleged the former fighter pilot had lace-up handcuffs on the Senate floor because he planned to take hostages.

He wants to kidnap, hold, maybe try, maybe execute members of the United States government, Assistant US Attorney Jay Weimer said. His previous experience and training make him even more dangerous.

Army commanders at Fort Bragg in North Carolina are investigating the possible involvement of the Captain Emily Rainey, the psychological operations officer and Afghan war veteran who told the AP that she traveled with 100 other people to Washington to oppose election fraud. She insisted that she acted within Army regulations and that no one from her group entered the Capitol or violated the law.

I was a private citizen and did everything well and within my rights, Rainey said.

Until now, more than 110 people have been arrested on charges related to the riots on Capitol Hill, ranging from curfew violations to federal felony crimes related to theft and possession of weapons.

Brian Harrell, who served as undersecretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security until last year, claimed that it is obviously troublesome when bad extremist actors have military and police records.

Many have specialized training, some have seen combat and almost all have been fed misinformation and propaganda from illegitimate sources, Harrell explained. They are fueled by conspiracy theories, they feel something is being stolen from them and they are not interested in the debate. This is a powder keg cocktail waiting to explode.

Bloomberg

The FBI warns of the possibility of more bloodshed. In an internal bulletin issued Sunday, the office warned about plans for armed protests in all 50 state capitals and in Washington, DC, in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the police departments of cities as important as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and Philadelphia they announced that they were investigating whether members of their agencies participated in the riots from the Capitol. The Philadelphia-area transit authority is also investigating whether seven of its police officers who attended Trumps rally in Washington violated any laws.

A Texas sheriff announced last week that he had denounced one of his lieutenants to the FBI after she posted photos of herself on social media with a crowd outside the Capitol. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Lt. Roxanne mathai, a 46-year-old jailer, had the right to attend the rally, but is investigating whether she may have violated the law.

One of the posts Mathai shared was a photo that appeared to have been taken on January 6 among the mass of Trump supporters outside the Capitol, with the caption: Im not going to lie. other than my children, this was In fact, the best day of my life. And its not over yet.

A Mathai attorney, mother and longtime San Antonio resident, stated that attended Trumps rally but never entered the Capitol.

In Houston, Police Chief Art Acevedo said an 18-year-old veteran of the department suspected of joining the mob who broke into the Capitol resigned before a disciplinary hearing that was scheduled for Friday.

There is no excuse for criminal activity, especially from a police officer, Acevedo said. I cant tell you how angry I feel at the thought of a police officer and other police officers, thinking that they are going to storm the Capitol.

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