This afternoon, a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol, where Congress had convened to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. The insurrectionists clashed with police, scaled walls, broke windows, and carried Confederate and Trump flags throughout the Capitol’s halls. Members of Congress and their staffers sheltered in place before being evacuated from the building. Collected here are a few images depicting the chaos of this American coup attempt, a scene unlike any other witnessed in recent U.S. history.
Insurrectionists climb the west wall of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana / AP)
Crowds arrive for the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. Donald Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Spencer Platt / Getty)
A demonstrator prays in the crowd at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. (Eric Lee / Bloomberg / Getty)
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Members of the mob breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 Electoral College vote certification. (Joseph Prezioso / AFP / Getty)
U.S. Capitol Police try to hold back the mob outside the east doors to the House side of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Andrew Harnik / AP)
People shelter in the House gallery as pro-Trump extremists try to break into the House chamber at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Andrew Harnik / AP)
An insurrectionist holds a Trump flag inside the Capitol near the Senate chamber on January 6, 2021. (Win McNamee / Getty)
Police with guns drawn watch as pro-Trump extremists try to break into the House chamber at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Associated Press)
An insurrectionist sits in the Senate chamber of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Win McNamee / Getty)
A note left by one of the insurrectionists in the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on January 6, 2021 (Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty)
An insurrectionist carries a lectern in the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Win McNamee / Getty)
A pro-Trump extremist hangs from the balcony in the Senate chamber of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Win McNamee / Getty)
Police detain a person as supporters of President Trump demonstrate outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty)
Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. (Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency / Getty)
