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These are the most striking images from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Rioters climbing walls, lawmakers taking cover and the QAnon Shaman. Here are some of the most striking images from the Jan. 6 insurrection.

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — It's a day that will live on in infamy in American history. 

January, 6 2021 — when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, terrorizing lawmakers and vandalizing a meeting place of the nation's legislature, and symbol of the American people.

It's now been a year since the breach happened. Here are some of the most striking photos from that day.

Tensions were high that Wednesday, as a joint session of Congress prepared to gather inside the Capitol to affirm now-President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. But before they gathered, supporters of former President Donald Trump rallied in Washington.

"We will never give up. We will never concede," Trump told the roaring crowd.

Credit: AP
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, the face of President Donald Trump appears on large screens as supporters participate in a rally in Washington. The House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, with its latest round of subpoenas in September 2021, may uncover the degree to which former President Donald Trump, his campaign and White House were involved in planning the rally that preceded the riot, which had been billed as a grassroots demonstration. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Less than an hour after the rally ended, the chaos began. A wave of protestors started swarming the Capitol.

Thousands of people gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud. Insurrectionists violently worked to break their way through a police barrier, and successfully did so.

Credit: AP
FILE - Violent insurrections loyal to President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. A revelation about text messages sent by three Fox News personalities to former President Donald Trump's chief of staff on the day of the Capitol riots raise questions about whether they have lost sight of the ‘news’ aspect of their jobs. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Credit: AP
Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. As Congress prepared to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory, thousands of people gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud.(AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Things quickly took a turn for the worse. After bulldozing their way through law enforcement, rioters even began climbing the west wall of the Capitol building, gearing up to force their way inside.

Credit: AP
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The House committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, with its latest round of subpoenas in September 2021, may uncover the degree to which former President Donald Trump, his campaign and White House were involved in planning the rally that preceded the riot, which had been billed as a grassroots demonstration. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

The building now donning the shame of vandalism, with broken windows and doors throughout.

Credit: AP
Windows are cracked and broken by rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

A mob sweeps though the hallways, with some individuals clad in armor and equipped with weapons. The images portraying an America at war with itself. 

At this point, insurrectionists have taken over the Capitol Building. Jacob Anthony Chansley, notoriously known as the QAnon Shaman, is pictured here alongside other rioters. He later became among one of the 700 people arrested in connection to the Capitol breach. 

Credit: AP
Jacob Anthony Chansley, center, with other insurrectionists who supported then-President Donald Trump, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber in the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Chansley, was among the first group of insurrectionists who entered the hallway outside the Senate chamber. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

People were forced to take shelter in the House gallery as rioters tried to break into the House Chamber. 

Credit: AP
People shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Credit: AP
Security forces draw their guns as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The rioters continued for hours until police were finally able to secure the inside of the building and clear the scene. 

Credit: AP
U.S. Capitol Police hold rioters at gun-point near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Credit: AP
Members of the U.S. Secret Service Counter Assault Team walk through the Rotunda as they and other federal police forces responded as violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol today, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Lawmakers were safely escorted out of the building that evening. Even into the next day, and beyond, security forces stood guard outside the building so they could continue their duties in certifying the election.

Credit: AP
Police stand guard after a day of riots at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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