Several dozen people arrested in the violent chaos at the U.S. Capitol made their first appearances in court Thursday as authorities vowed to track down other suspects, the Washington Post reports. In D.C. Superior Court, 40 defendants were charged with unlawful entry of public property and were notified that prosecutors are reviewing additional charges of curfew violation. Most of the defendants came from outside of the Washington, D.C., region — including Oregon, Florida, Wyoming, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. One person was charged with possessing a “military style automatic weapon” and 11 molotov cocktails. Another was charged with assaulting a police officer with a hockey stick. One suspect, who needed a Russian interpreter, told a judge, “I don’t know what unlawful entry you are referring to.” They had been among thousands of demonstrators who marched on the Capitol in support of President Donald Trump’s false claim that he lost the Nov. 3 election because of massive voter fraud.
Four people were charged with federal crimes, including a Maryland man accused of possessing a firearm after curfew on Capitol grounds— a 9mm handgun with a round in the firing chamber. Prosecutors said he was carrying two loaded 12-round magazines, wearing a bulletproof vest, a gas mask and pocket knife. D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee vowed that his department would arrest “each and every one of the violent mob.” Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin voiced “concern” at the relatively small number of rioters detained by police and said federal authorities face the daunting task of identifying, locating and obtaining arrest warrants for a large number of suspects, which he said could occupy investigators for months. Sherwin said a large amount of paperwork electronic devices and other items were stolen from congressional offices, which “could have national security implications.”