January 6 Capitol Attack: Most Defendants Were Not Affiliated With Extremist Groups

Attack on the Capitol The rally at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not primarily carried out by extremists or non-militants. According to data analyzed by Robert A. Pape, it was largely the work of ordinary Americans.

That is the conclusion Pape reaches in his new book, Our Own Worst Enemy: America in the Age of Violent Populism, which cites data on people arrested and charged after the attack.

Most January 6 defendants were not part of extremist groups

Although the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers dominated headlines, data collected by Pape through his work as founding director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST) found that the vast majority—90 percent—of those charged with crimes arising from the attack were not affiliated with militia or extremist groups.

Pape’s analysis found that 22 percent were business owners and nearly 30 percent had a college degree. The defendants included doctors, engineers, CEOs, and civil servants. Nearly 40 percent had white-collar jobs, while only 8 percent of participants were unemployed.

The warning about mainstream political violence

This finding is key to understanding the central warning of Pape’s book: Americans do not understand that the threat of political violence can come from the mainstream, not just the fringes.

“As the 2026 midterm elections approach, U.S. elections are entering a danger zone where state power, protest, and political orthodoxy increasingly collide,” Pape writes in the book. “For most Americans, political violence remains understood as ephemeral, shocking when it erupts but destined to fade away. That assumption is comforting. It’s also increasingly dangerous.”

WIRED spoke with Pape about his book, concerns about violence during the 2026 midterm elections, why it is important to understand the storming of the Capitol, and what gives us hope that democracy will prevail.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is violent populism?

David Gilbert: Your book centers on the idea of violent populism. What is it, and why will it increase in 2026?

Robert A. Pape: Violent populism is a dangerous political climate in which large segments of the population increasingly accept physical violence as a legitimate means of gaining, maintaining, and defending political power. This problem is exacerbated by deep cultural conflicts over the nature of American identity and citizenship, and further intensified by elite rhetoric that frames politics as a struggle for survival between adversaries. This structural dynamic transforms ordinary mainstream citizens into active participants in political aggression.