FBI Director says more than 200 suspects have been identified in US Capitol riots

The director of the FBI has revealed that upwards of 200 suspects been identified in the wake of the Capitol riots.

Per CNN, FBI Director Chris Wray made the revelation on Thursday (January 14) in his first public appearance since the riots, which left five people dead and saw president Trump impeached for a second time.

"We know who you are if you're out there, and FBI agents are coming to find you," he said during an inauguration security briefing.

The briefing took place at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington with Vice President Mike Pence, and come as investigators pursue thousands of leads in a bid to bring those responsible for the riots to justice.

In the video below, Wray addresses the "extensive" online talk about potential inauguration threats:

FBI and Justice Department officials described the challenge presented in identifying those responsible as "unprecedented", and Wray took the opportunity to address those who may be planning to carry out similar acts of violence in yesterday's appearance.

"My advice to people who might be inclined to follow in the footsteps of those who engaged in the kind of activity we saw last week is stay home," he said. "Look at what's happening now to the people who were involved in the Capitol siege."

Credit: PA Images

However, despite fears of a repeat of the Capitol riots, especially at next week's inauguration, Wray said he has "confidence" in the security measures currently being undertaken by the FBI.

"Our posture is aggressive. It's going to stay that way though the inauguration. So in that vein, we and our partners have already arrested more than 100 individuals for their criminal activities in last week's siege of the Capitol and continue to pursue countless other related investigations."

Wray said that one of the challenges facing the FBI is distinguishing "what is aspirational and what is potential" when it comes to online threats of additional violence.

"We're monitoring all incoming leads - whether calls for armed protests, potential threats that grow out of the January 6th breach of the Capitol or other kinds of potential threats leading up to Inaugural events and various other targets," he said.

"Right now we're tracking calls for potential armed protest," Wray added.