Donald Trump: former US president and 2024 hopeful expects arrest in January 6 Capitol insurrection probe

Donald Trump expects to be arrested over the inquiry into the January 6 insurrection.

The former US president, and once-again presidential hopeful, made the claim in a social media post on Tuesday night (18 July). The investigation into the US Capitol riots by a federal committee is continuing, with Trump stating that he had been told by special counsel Jack Smith that he was a target of their inquiries.

Trump said on his own social media site Truth Social that he received a letter "stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment". Later at a campaign rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he told the audience: "I didn't know practically what a subpoena was and grand juries and all of this.

"Now I'm becoming an expert, I have no choice because we have to. It's a disgrace."

If his claims are correct, it will mark the latest indictment levelled against the former president, following high-profile criminal charges brought against him in the past few months. Trump currently faces 37 charges of mishandling classified records, while also being charged with falsifying business records in relation to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

The special counsel has not commented on or confirmed Trump's claims that he is due to be arrested imminently.

The investigation into the January 6 insurrection, which saw hundreds of people violently breach the walls of the US Capitol over false claims that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen" from trump, has been continuing after the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack concluded in December 2022.

The committee, which was launched in July 2021, reviewed over one million documents and interviewed over a thousand people to gain an understanding of the event which led to the insurrection. In its conclusions published last December, the committee voted unanimously to refer Trump to the US Department of Justice for prosecutions.

The committee recommended charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement, and attempts to "incite", "assist" or "aid or comfort" an insurrection.

The special counsel's office has not publicly stated was criminal violations they are investigating in relation to the former president, nor has it been confirmed if others are being targeted in the investigation.