They “stormed the Capitol building” on January 6, 2021, during the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Washington, D.C.

What happened that day

  • On January 6, 2021, a large crowd of supporters of then‑President Donald Trump marched to the U.S. Capitol and breached security barriers around the building.
  • Rioters broke windows and forced their way inside, disrupting the joint session of Congress that was meeting to certify the Electoral College results.

Timing details

  • The attack unfolded over several hours on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, with rioters first breaching outer Capitol grounds shortly after midday.
  • By early evening that same day, law enforcement had largely cleared the building and secured the Capitol complex.

Why it’s still in the news

  • The January 6 Capitol attack remains a trending topic because of ongoing criminal cases, political debates about accountability, and continued public discussion about the state of U.S. democracy.
  • It is also frequently referenced in news, documentaries, and forum discussions whenever political violence or threats to democratic institutions are discussed.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.