There is a way to prevent repeat of the US Capitol attack

The immediate task is preventing further bloodshed. To that end, US law-enforcement and intelligence agencies should move more firmly against militant white nationalism.

Demonstrators attempt to enter the US Capitol building during a protest in Washington, DC on 6 January | Photo: Eric Lee | Bloomberg

As details emerge about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, it’s become clear that some of the rioters were planning far worse acts of violence, and national-security officials at all levels of government were utterly unprepared. Congress should conduct an urgent and thorough investigation to determine what went wrong and how to stop it from happening again.

The immediate task is preventing further bloodshed. With extremists threatening more mayhem between now and the inauguration, security precautions that might once have been unthinkable — including the deployment of thousands of military personnel on the streets of the capital — are necessary. While taking care not to exaggerate the threat (which might risk amplifying it), law-enforcement and intelligence agencies should also move more firmly against militant white nationalism.

It will take time to get clear on the reasons for failure on Jan. 6, but there’ll be plenty of blame to go around. Warnings by FBI field agents that extremists were planning “war” on members of Congress evidently went unheeded. The sergeants at arms for both chambers of Congress dithered about the need for better protection of the Capitol ahead of the protests. Capitol Police leaders were slow to call for reinforcements, leaving their officers outnumbered and unable to hold back the mob. At the Pentagon, requests for military assistance from Washington city officials were delayed by bureaucratic formalities and buck-passing. By the time sufficient forces arrived at the Capitol, the riot had been underway for hours and the damage was done.

Under the command of the Secret Service, law-enforcement agencies have mobilized an unprecedented security presence to protect dignitaries and government buildings during the inauguration. It’s a great shame that some ceremonies will have to be conducted behind steel fencing, but necessary. As after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, new layers of security in and around the capital will be required for months to come. The FBI is looking at adding identified Jan. 6 rioters to its no-fly list. States too will need to adopt more stringent measures, including limiting public access to statehouses, installing metal detectors and banning firearms from capitol grounds.

Law enforcement needs to be diligent about finding and prosecuting those who broke the law on Jan. 6. It’s vital to send the message that assaulting people and property in this way carries consequences. Going forward, the government should devote more attention to tracking the most dangerous elements in the extremist ecosystems. Cooperation between local police and federal law-enforcement and intelligence agencies should be strengthened. The Department of Homeland Security last year granted $10 million to community organizations that work to counter violent far-right extremism; the Biden administration should give more to the programs that show the most promise. Congress should insist that the director of national intelligence provide an annual report on domestic terrorism threats — a requirement lawmakers unwisely dropped from the most recent defense authorization law.

At the same time, leaders at all levels should avoid overreacting. While capable of sporadic violence, white supremacist groups are haphazardly organized and command little public support. Reducing their ability to do harm calls for action well within the capabilities of traditional law-enforcement agencies, so long as police get the resources and political support they need. The country is rightly alarmed about the events of Jan. 6. Vigilance, not panic, is the right response.- Bloomberg