The head of the US Capitol Police tried to reassure Americans on Wednesday that his force had addressed the security failings that culminated in the January 6 attack on Congress, while the nation's attorney general vowed that authorities would hold "all" perpetrators to account.
On the eve of the anniversary of the riot, Chief Thomas Manger said his officers would never be caught unprepared again, following the attack by thousands of former president Donald Trump's supporters trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory.
The police force that guards the US Capitol was so woefully unprepared for what happened that they could not even access vital riot gear because someone had left it locked on a bus.
“No more locked buses where they can’t access it,” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar told Chief Manger at a hearing. “That was an unbelievable story, just horrific. They're looking at the equipment and they can't get it.”
The chief responded that would “not happen again".
He went on to say he was confident the Capitol police are now a “stronger, better-prepared” force and outlined reforms his department has taken following the attack, including improving intelligence-gathering capabilities.
It has also created a critical-incident response plan to prevent delays in receiving help from other forces — a problem that became glaringly obvious on January 6, when it took several hours for the National Guard to provide backup.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland meanwhile said at the Justice Department that authorities would not rest until all those responsible for last year's attack are held to account.
“We will follow the facts wherever they lead,” Mr Garland said in a speech. “The actions we have taken thus far will not be our last.”
The investigation into the attack is the largest in the Justice Department’s history. So far, at least 725 people have been arrested and 350 others are still being sought by the FBI, including 250 of whom are accused of assaulting police officers.
Prosecutors remain “committed to holding all January 6 perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law," he said.
Mr Garland also detailed the serious assaults on law enforcement officers, describing in detail how officers were beaten and shocked with stun guns.
During January’s riot, one officer was beaten and shocked with a stun gun repeatedly until he had a heart attack; another was foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon.
“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Mr Garland said.
More than 140 prosecutors from the District of Columbia and other offices across the country are taking part in the probe. Investigators have poured through more than 20,000 hours of video footage and issued more than 5,000 subpoenas. Mr Garland commended the public for providing more than 300,000 tips to help officials track down those responsible.
However, despite hundreds of criminal probes into the unrest and the reform of the Capitol Police, President Joe Biden will speak on the anniversary knowing that much of the country still celebrates the insurrection.
Underlining the political divisions, senior Republicans appear set to skip commemorations organised by the Democratic-led Congress on Thursday, including Mr Biden's speech inside Statuary Hall.
Mr Trump himself continues to push the unfounded claim, which at least two major news agencies now simply refer to as a "lie", that the 2020 election was stolen by Mr Biden — a conspiracy theory debunked through multiple court findings and vote recounts.
He had been planning to hold a press conference in Florida on Thursday, but abruptly abandoned the plan in a statement Tuesday that reiterated claims that the 2020 election was a “crime.”
“[Mr Biden will] speak to the historical significance of January 6, what it means for the country one year later,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
In his remarks to the Senate committee, Chief Manger spoke of his badly prepared officers who had to face down angry Trump supporters pouring over police barricades, smashing windows and vandalising property.
Despite improvements to its tactics, the Capitol Police force is still reeling, with Chief Manger saying the department is significantly understaffed.
Agencies contributed to this report.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
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Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
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