- Nadine Youssef
- BBC news
The partner of a US Capitol police officer who died a day after the January 6, 2021 riots is suing former US President Donald Trump for manslaughter.
The lawsuit claims that Trump “intentionally angered the mob” who attacked Brian Sicknick.
Police have tightened security at the Capitol on the second anniversary of the riots.
Hundreds of protesters involved in the violence have been sentenced so far, but the FBI says many more remain at large.
The federal police believe that more than 300 people committed acts of violence that day, who have not yet been identified.
Among them is the person responsible for planting pipe bombs in front of the Republican and Democratic National Committees headquarters the night before the riot.
On Wednesday, the FBI said it would offer $500,000 to anyone with information that could help them catch the suspect.
Riots broke out in the United States Capitol on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent Congress from ratifying the results of the 2020 election, in which Joe Biden was elected President of the United States.
Crowds stormed the Capitol following a speech by Trump, who was speaking at a rally about a mile from the building. In his speech, Trump denounced election fraud and called on then-Vice President Mike Pence to reverse the results.
In his speech, Trump said, “Let’s go to the Capitol. If you don’t fight hard, you won’t have a country.”
During Thursday’s memorial event at the White House, Biden described the events of Jan. 6 as a “turning point” in US history.
“It’s hard to believe this happened here in America,” he said.
“January 6 reminds us that nothing is foolproof in our democracy,” Biden added.
A woman was killed during the riot by a police officer. Three others who were on the Capitol that day died of natural causes.
One of the three was Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after the riot after a series of strokes.
While Siknick suffered no injuries in the riot, a lawsuit filed by his family Thursday alleges violent mobs played a role in his death.
His family sued Trump on Thursday for manslaughter, claiming the former president “deliberately stirred up the mob” and that Sicknick died of “violent wounds.”
“Several of those involved in the attack have since revealed that they acted on direct orders from defendant Trump, believing it was to serve their country,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit also accuses Trump of civil rights violations, assault and negligence of Siknik, and seeks $10 million in damages.
Trump has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
And on Thursday, Biden bestowed several presidential decorations on citizens, including officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riots, including a posthumous medal to Sicknick, saying he “lost his life while protecting the fortress of democracy.”
After the attacks, a Democrat-led Congress investigated Trump’s role in inciting the riots.
And last December, the US House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack asked federal prosecutors to charge Trump with filibustering and insurrection — the first time in US history that Congress has deferred a former president to a criminal proceeding.