The FBI had an informant in the crowd during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, The New York Times reported Saturday, citing confidential records it obtained.

The informant’s name was not revealed in the records, though he was affiliated with a Midwest chapter of the far-right group the Proud Boys, according to the newspaper.

Based on an account of the informant’s activities detailed in the records, the informant described meeting up with men from other Proud Boys chapters at 10 a.m. at the Washington Monument and eventually entering the Capitol.

The informant entered after debating whether to do so, the Times reported. He left through a window after police told him that someone had been shot – likely Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt, the newspaper noted.

The informant has since denied that the Proud Boys intended to use violence on Jan. 6 but rather were consumed by a herd mentality. He has also denied that the group planned to attack the Capitol in interviews, the Times reported. 

In a statement to The Hill, an FBI spokesperson said the agency’s “mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States, and intelligence gathering is essential to those efforts.” 

“While the FBI’s standard practice is not to discuss its sources and methods, it is important to understand that sources provide valuable information regarding criminal activity and national security matters,” the statement said. 

More than 600 people have been arrested in connection with the deadly attack, according to the Justice Department, and more than 50 have pleaded guilty.

The Times noted that 15 members of the Proud Boys have been charged with conspiracy in four separate cases.

Reuters reported in early August that the FBI has found little evidence to suggest that the attack was largely coordinated. 

While groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers were intent on entering the Capitol, officials told Reuters that there appeared to be no coordinated plans regarding what they would do once they broke into the building.

The Hill

The FBI is asking the public for help in identifying suspects seen attacking police officers in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in newly released video.

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The FBI’s Washington Field Office has released 11 new videos of suspects in violent assaults on federal officers during the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and is seeking the public’s help to identify them. The 11 new videos depict suspects seen forcefully attacking law enforcement officers.

nvestigating the violent assaults on law enforcement officers committed during the January 6 attack on the Capitol has been a priority for the FBI. With the assistance of hundreds of thousands of tips from the American people, the FBI has arrested more than 500 individuals who took part in the Capitol riots. Of those, more than 100 were arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers. However, some of the most violent offenders have yet to be identified, including the 11 individuals seen assaulting officers in the video footage we are releasing today.

“As we mark six months since the violence at our nation’s Capitol, we continue to encourage the public to send tips to the FBI. As we have seen with dozens of cases so far, the tips matter,” said Steven M. D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “Tipsters should rest assured that the FBI is working diligently behind the scenes to follow all investigative leads to verify tips from the public and bring these criminals to justice. To date, the FBI has arrested more than 500 individuals for criminal activity on January 6. The public has provided tremendous assistance to this investigation, and we are asking for additional help to identify other individuals for their role in the violence at the U.S. Capitol.”

To view photos and videos of additional individuals the FBI is seeking to identify, visit fbi.gov/capitolviolence. If you have any information on the individuals depicted in the videos or the photo gallery, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. Please reference the AFO number when calling or submitting information online.

Suspects in previously released videos have been arrested because of valuable assistance from the public. They are Reed Christensen (AFO #191), Jonathan Munafo (AFO #170), Nicholas Brockhoff (AFO #255), and Geoffrey Sills (AFO #153). More information on those arrested and charged is available at the Department of Justice’s Capitol Breach Cases site.

Follow the FBI’s Washington Field Office on Twitter at @FBIWFO for updates.