Off-duty police and members of the military are being investigated in the wake of the attack on the US Capitol

  • Police Departments across the US have placed officers on leave while they investigate their attendance at last week's Trump rally in Washington DC that turned into a violent riot. 
  • The officers serve in police forces in Washington State, California, Texas and Virginia, according to reports. 
  • A serving military officer is also under investigation, and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel has been arrested. 
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Off-duty police officers and members of the military are under investigation for alleged involvement in the chaotic Trump rally that erupted into riots that engulfed the Capitol, according to multiple reports. 

Investigators from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are pursuing those involved in the riots last Wednesday that left five people dead.

Police officers and military officials across the US have also come into the frame, with some placed on leave while their departments investigate. 

  • The Washington Post on Sunday named a series of bodies investigating their officers. They include the Seattle Police Department, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office in Texas, and the police department in Zelienople, Pennsylvania.
  • Dave Ellis, a police chief in Troy, New Hampshire, confirmed that he attended President Donald Trump's rally ahead of the attack on the Capitol, but said he left before it turned violent in an interview with NHPR. The chair of the town's Board of Selectman is standing by Ellis amid calls for his dismissal, according to the report. 
  • Two police officers in Rocky Mount, Virginia, have been placed on administrative leave while their attendance at the rally on Wednesday is investigated, reported Reuters. 
  • The US military is investigating psychological operations officer Emily Rainey, reported The Associated Press. She is accused of leading a group of people from North Carolina to the rally. "I was a private citizen and doing everything right and within my rights," Rainey told the Associated Press on Sunday.
  • Larry Brock, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, surrendered to the FBI in Texas on Sunday, and faces charges related to trespassing and "disorderly conduct," the Justice Department announced. Brock was pictured in the Senate chamber last Wednesday wearing a helmet and body armor, and carrying zip-tie handcuffs.

The violence last Wednesday resulted in the death of Capitol Police officer David D Sicknick, who died of brain injuries after being struck on the head with a fire extinguisher by a rioter. Four others also died.

Read more: After US Capitol riots, cable giants face criticism for enabling the spread of misinformation

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