Donald Trump has been sued for wrongful death by the partner of a US Capitol Police officer who died a day after the January 6, 2021 riots.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, said Mr. Trump “intentionally incited the crowd” that attacked Brian Skunk.
Police have beefed up security at the Capitol grounds on the occasion of the second anniversary of the riots.
Hundreds have been convicted so far, but the FBI says there are many more.
The federal police believe that more than 300 people who committed violent acts on that day are yet to be identified.
Among them is the man responsible for planting a pipe bomb outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic National Committees the night before the riots.
On Wednesday, the FBI said it would offer $500,000 (£420,730) to anyone who could help catch the suspect.
The uproar in the US Capitol began two years ago when Congress confirmed President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.
Crowds stormed the Capitol after the speech by Mr. Trump, who was addressing a rally a mile from the Capitol grounds. In his speech, Mr. Trump claimed the election was rigged and called on then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results.
“We’re going to the Capitol,” Mr. Trump said in the speech. “If you don’t fight like hell, you won’t have a country.”
In the same speech, he also asked them to “raise your voice peacefully and patriotically.”
During a memorial service at the White House on Thursday, Mr Biden called the events of January 6 an “inflection point” in American history.
“It’s hard to believe that this could happen in America,” he said.
“Jan. 6 is a reminder that there are no guarantees about our democracy,” Mr. Biden added.
‘wrongful death’
A woman was shot dead by a police officer during the riots. Three others who were on the Capitol grounds that day died of natural causes.
One of them was Capital Police Officer Brian Skunk, who died of a stroke a day after the riots.
While Mr. Skunk was not injured during the riots, a lawsuit filed by his family on Thursday alleges that the violent mob played a role in his death.
His family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Mr. Trump on Thursday, claiming that the former president “deliberately incited the crowd” and that Mr. Skunk died as a result of “brutal injuries.”
“Many of the participants in the attack have since disclosed that they were acting under direct orders from Defendant Trump in the service of their country,” the lawsuit states.
The suit also accuses Mr. Trump of violating Mr. Skunk’s civil rights, assault and negligence and is seeking $10 million in damages.
Mr. Trump has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
On Thursday, Mr. Biden awarded several presidential civilian medals to officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riots, including a posthumous one for Mr. Skunk, saying they had “guarded the citadel of democracy.” He lost his life.”
Since the attacks, a Democrat-led congressional investigation has also examined Mr Trump’s role in inciting the riots.
In December, a US House committee investigating the January 6 attack asked federal prosecutors to charge Mr Trump with obstruction and sedition – the first time in US history that Congress has criminally charged a former president. Referred.
