Convicted Capitol rioters are freed by Trump

Extremist supporters of Donald Trump who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 or were involved in planning the insurrection began leaving prison yesterday, after the new president issued sweeping pardons after being sworn in.

- Marina Dunbar

The Republican president's pardon of 1,500 defendants on Monday drew outrage from lawmakers who were endangered in the attack, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

Two of the biggest names of the far right and the most serious offenders tied to the plot, Enrique Tarrio and Steward Rhodes, were set free.

Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia who had his 18-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy commuted, was released just after midnight in Cumberland, Maryland. He did not enter the US Capitol during the mob's breach but was found guilty of plotting to use force against Congress to try to prevent the election certification of Biden's victory over Trump. He was also accused of helping to stockpile firearms at a hotel in nearby Virginia that could be ferried across the river to Washington DC.

Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys group, was serving a 22-year sentence. He also did not take part in the breach of the Capitol but was convicted of orchestrating the plots to stop the peaceful transfer of power.

Late on Monday in Washington, a group of about 50 people stood outside the biggest city jail, with temperatures below -7C, while not far away Trump was in the process of issuing the pardons and commutations to the January 6 defendants.

The mood outside Central Detention Facility in Washington was lively as people waited to see if those inside would not only be pardoned, but released that night. There was a sense of excitement and restlessness, with upbeat music and dancing as well as chants demanding "justice".