Dozens of rioters charged in the Capitol insurrection have been linked to extremist groups and rhetoric

• The FBI has linked at least 40 defendants in the Capitol riot to extremist groups and movements.
• Court documents so rioters were linked to the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and other groups.
• A review from from the Associated Press found another 59 were linked to extremist rhetoric.

Dozens of rioters charged in the January 6 Capitol insurrection have been linked to extremist groups and rhetoric in the weeks since the attack.

According to a report from the Associated Press, extremist ideologies and conspiracy theories have been cited as evidence in nearly have half of the more than 200 federal cases tied to the insurrection.

The FBI has linked at least 40 defendants to extremist groups and movements, while another 59 were linked to extremist rhetoric, AP reported.

Insider previously reported the Oath Keepers, an extremist self-styled militia that seeks to overthrow the US government, extensively planned their presence at the riot, as did the Three Percenters, another self-styled militia.

Prosecutors said in court documents that at least 10 official members of the Oath Keepers, were at the Capitol siege, and another "30-40" coordinated with the group.

AP reports that in addition to the Oath Keepers, at least 16 members or associates of the Proud Boys were at the riot, as were at least 10 QAnon followers who were also present.

But dozens of other defendants who were not linked to specific groups still believed conspiracy theories, according to the AP.

The newswire service reported, citing court documents, that defendants had threatened Democrats, spread false information about the COVID-19 pandemic, and pushed QAnon theories, including the baseless belief that former President Donald Trump was fighting a secret cabal of Democratic elitists who trafficked children.

Several also pushed the conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden stole the election from former President Donald Trump, AP reported.

Rioters at the Capitol had come from a "Stop the Steal" rally, organized by Trump supporters, and stormed the building as congress members worked to certify the Electoral College votes in the presidential election.

Five people died in the riot, including a Capitol police officer.

More than 250 people have been charged on a federal or local level in connection to the riot, though Trump on Saturday was acquitted of an impeachment charge of inciting insurrection.

Biden, meanwhile, has ordered law enforcement offices and intelligence officials to investigate possible domestic terrorism.