US watchdog cites FBI missteps but avoids blame in report on January 6 riot
Al Jazeera
The FBI has faced criticism that it failed to act to prevent the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The United States Department of Justice has issued a report into the intelligence gathered in the lead-up to the 2021 attack on the US Capitol — and whether that evidence was properly handled to prevent violence.
Thursday’s 88-page report, issued by the office of Inspector General Michael Horowitz, zoomed in on the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), one of the US’s foremost domestic intelligence agencies.
It concluded that the FBI had behaved “effectively” ahead of the attack on January 6, 2021, which sought to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election.
“Despite playing only a supporting role in preparing for and responding to the events of January 6, the FBI recognized the potential for violence and took significant and appropriate steps to prepare for this supporting role,” the inspector general’s office explained.
But, it added, the FBI could have gone further to identify intelligence about potential threats, including by canvassing its field offices for materials, as it does before major events like the Super Bowl.
