Hundreds of participants in the attack on the Capitol released from prison after Trump’s pardon

Hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump who were serving prison terms for participating in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, were released on Tuesday, after the new president pardoned more than 1,500 people, including and some who attacked the policemen.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced that 211 people had been released from federal facilities following Trump’s order.

Trump’s sweeping pardon – which went further than his allies had indicated they expected – drew condemnation from anti-mob police, their families and lawmakers, including some of the president’s fellow Republicans. More than 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s decision, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday.

The decision was also criticized by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the largest police union in the USA, which supported Trump in the 2024 elections. The FOP and the International Association of Chiefs of Police said in a joint statement that they were “deeply disappointed” by the pardon.

Among those freed is Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the far-right Oath Keepers group, who served an 18-year sentence after being found guilty of planning to use force to prevent Congress from confirm Trump’s defeat of Joe Biden in 2020.

“It’s redemption, but it’s vindication,” Rhodes told reporters outside a prison in Washington, where a crowd of Trump supporters were waiting for more prisoners to be released.

Trump ordered a pardon for all those accused of the attack, in which a crowd of his supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to reverse his election defeat. About 140 policemen were injured in the attack, and four people lost their lives.

Craig Sicknick, whose brother, a police officer attacked during the riots, died of his injuries, called Trump “true evil” on Tuesday. “The man who killed my brother is now president,” he told Reuters.

“My brother died for nothing. Everything he did to try to protect the country, protect the Capitol,” Sicknick said. “What Trump has done is despicable and proves that the United States no longer has anything resembling a justice system.”

One of Trump’s fellow Republicans, Senator Thom Tillis, told Reuters that calling out rioters who attacked police sent the wrong message.

Among those released earlier in the day was Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right group Proud Boys. He was sentenced to 22 years, more than any other defendant, for his role in planning the attack.

Both Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi have previously said they believe people who have committed violence will not be pardoned.

White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt defended the pardons, claiming without evidence that many of the convictions were politically motivated. “President Trump campaigned on this promise,” she said on Fox News. “It shouldn’t be surprising that he did that on the first day.”