- Zelensky to meet Pope, Scholz as whirlwind Europe tour ends
- At least 10 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
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- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
Jan 6 tapes revive false claims of FBI involvement
A newly-released mass of security footage from the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol has reignited a host of long-debunked conspiracy theories -- with conservative lawmakers and media personalities getting in on the act.
Republican Senator Mike Lee and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene joined a chorus of influencers claiming cameras caught a man disguised in a "Make America Great Again" cap flashing a badge that identified him as law enforcement.
"I can't wait to ask FBI Director Christopher Wray about this at our next oversight hearing," Lee, who represents Utah, said on X, formerly Twitter.
In reality, the man in the clip -- published after new House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered hours of surveillance video released -- is a Donald Trump supporter from Chicago.
Kevin James Lyons, identifiable by his outfit, worked as an air conditioning technician until he was sentenced to more than four years in prison in July, according to court filings. One of more than 1,200 people arrested in connection to the riot, he was found guilty of six charges.
Now Lyons is the latest fodder for a years-old disinformation campaign experts say aims to whitewash Trump's efforts to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.
Another man charged in the Capitol attack, Ray Epps, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News in July after ex-network host Tucker Carlson falsely claimed he was an FBI operative working to entrap Trump supporters.
- 'Rewrite the history' -
Court documents say Lyons filmed himself inside Nancy Pelosi's office and posed with a framed photo he stole from the then-House speaker. He also pocketed a wallet, and called the police Nazis.
Other footage from the day appears to show him carrying a vape -- not a badge.
"Complete fact-free idiot," former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, who served on the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot, posted in response to Lee. "It's a vape."
Greene and others who amplified the accusations about Lyons, including the far-right Gateway Pundit website, backtracked after journalists and online sleuths identified him.
Keven Ruby, a senior research associate with the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, said his team's analysis of more than 1,130 cases has found no evidence FBI agents instigated any defendants charged in the assault.
But across platforms, conservatives misrepresented other moments from the tapes.
Another video of a man's handcuffs being removed also inspired claims about undercover officers until he was identified as a rioter charged in October for allegedly assaulting police.
Asked about the allegations, the FBI pointed AFP to recent testimony in which Wray said the agency had "emphatically not" orchestrated the violence.
A law enforcement source on Capitol Hill also told AFP it is "false" that federal personnel instigated the attack.
Laura Thornton, senior vice president of democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, told AFP the buck stops with Trump, who has downplayed the events as he prepares to go on trial in March on charges of conspiring to reverse the 2020 election results.
"Trump calls the January 6 insurrectionists in prison 'hostages,' plays their 'anthem' at his rallies and promises to pardon them all," she said.
On Truth Social, Trump congratulated Johnson for releasing the videos, claiming they would "reveal what really happened."
He also shared a post from Lee asking how many in the mob were "feds."
Michael Jensen, of the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said such claims are "virtually guaranteed" to persist, noting they also took off when Carlson previously aired other unseen footage.
"This is all part of a broader effort to rewrite the history of that day, downplay the seriousness of the crimes that were committed, and bolster the election campaigns of the former president and his allies," he said.
T.Ward--AMWN