US Capitol attack was preceded by intelligence agency failures, Senate report concludes
- The report said the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies ignored warnings of violence in December 2020
- ‘These agencies failed to sound the alarm … that could have helped law enforcement better prepare for the events’ of January 6, said the report committee’s chairman
The 105-page report, issued on Tuesday by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said intelligence personnel at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies ignored warnings of violence in December 2020.
Subsequently, they blamed each other for failing to prevent the attack that ensued on January 6, which left more than 140 police officers injured and led to several deaths.
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Donald Trump should face criminal charges, says January 6 riot panel
Since then, the US government has won hundreds of convictions against the rioters, with some getting long prison sentences.
“These agencies failed to sound the alarm and share critical intelligence information that could have helped law enforcement better prepare for the events” of January 6, said Senator Gary Peters, the chairman of the committee issuing the report titled “Planned in Plain Sight, A Review of the Intelligence Failures in Advance of January 6th, 2021.”
Republicans on the committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that since early 2021 the agency has taken “steps to enhance its capacity to collect and produce intelligence about homeland security threats” while protecting privacy and civil rights. It also has enhanced staff training and supervision of intelligence activity collection, the statement said.