Trump supporters clash with police in Washington
Trump supporters clash with police in WashingtonREUTERS/Leah Millis

The mob that stormed the US Capitol last week aimed to “capture and assassinate elected officials,” federal prosecutors said in court documents, according to The Associated Press.

The revelation came in a motion filed by prosecutors late Thursday in the case against Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man who took part in the insurrection while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns.

The details shed new light on the seriousness of the Capitol riot. They suggest that investigators believe there was a much more organized effort afoot, despite claims from rioters that it was a spontaneous outburst of anger over the election and President Donald Trump’s loss.

Prosecutors say that after Chansley climbed up to the dais where Vice President Mike Pence had been presiding moments earlier. He reportedly wrote a threatening note to Pence that said: “It’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

“Strong evidence, including Chansley’s own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States Government,” prosecutors wrote in their memo urging the judge to keep Chansley behind bars, according to AP.

The FBI has been investigating whether any of the rioters had plotted to kidnap members of Congress and hold them hostage, focusing particularly on the men seen carrying plastic zip-tie handcuffs and pepper spray.

Prosecutors raised a similar prospect on Friday in the case of a former Air Force officer who they alleged carried plastic zip-tie handcuffs because he intended “to take hostages.” So far, the Justice Department has not publicly released any specific evidence on the plots or explained how the rioters planned to carry them out.

FBI Director Chris Wray said on Thursday that investigators have identified more than 200 suspects in their probe of last week’s violent riots at the US Capitol and arrested more than 100 individuals.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)