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FBI urges people to give tips about US Capitol storming, Internet asks, 'did Trump agree upon group pardon?'

'If you have witnessed unlawful violent actions, we urge you to submit any information, photos, or videos that could be relevant'

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has urged the public to give information regarding the violent activity at the US Capitol building. A number of pro-Trumpers violently protested against President-elect Joe Biden’s certification on Wednesday, January 6, which also saw the death of a woman, identified as Ashli Babbitt.

In an official statement, the FBI wrote: “The FBI is accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the US Capitol Building and the surrounding area in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021. If you have witnessed unlawful violent actions, we urge you to submit any information, photos, or videos that could be relevant at fbi.gov/USCapitol,” before adding, “Our goal is to preserve the public’s constitutional right to protest by protecting everyone from violence and other criminal activity. You may also call ‪1-800-CALL-FBI (1-‪800-225-5324) to verbally report tips and/or information related to this investigation. If you do not have an attachment but have information to provide, please submit it at tips.fbi.gov.”

After the FBI’s request went public, a lot of people took to Twitter to share information while some expressed their thoughts on the whole scenario. One such user shared a picture of a man while writing, “This guy is Adam Johnson, from Bradenton, Florida. He has since closed his account, but a bit too late. Hope this helps the FBI to find and rest him.” Another one commented on the former one’s tweet by saying, “Unfortunately I don’t think they will be arrested. They sent out a tweet for the public’s help in finding those involved. They clearly can be seen and they r all in hotels around dc. I mean cut the bulls**t.” “Right? They didn’t arrest them on the spot, so they’re likely not going to hunt them down afterward,” the third user agreed.

“I imagine part of why the FBI is having to crowdsource this s**t is because under Trump, 85% of grants awarded by Homeland Security explicitly targeted Muslim immigrants despite white supremacists having carried out more domestic attacks than foreign terrorist groups since 2001,” the fourth user tweeted, who also said, “Hate crimes targeting Black and Brown people went up 17% just between 2016-2017 alone and have risen every year since. Under Obama, there was a dedicated full-time staff of 40 people in the Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention, operating on a budget of $24 million. When Trump came into office that budget was reduced to $3 million and the staff dwindled to less than 10. After gutting the DHS office he pulled all funding for grants that were meant to go to organizations countering neo-nazis, white supremacists, and anti-government militants.”

“How about The FBI starts with the leader of the cult, Trump. Then the Capitol police who kindly opened the door, escorted them in and took selfies. Or the many agencies who knew this was going to happen for weeks & made no preparations,” the fifth user wrote while the sixth one added, “Will the FBI be identifying and rounding up the Capitol Rioters or has Trump agreed a Group Pardon for all of the People that he Loves and rioted?”