U.S. federal agents arrest more Capitol rioters seen in viral posts
Democratic senator calls on mobile carriers to save social media content from riot
U.S. federal agents arrested two more Capitol Hill rioters whose images had gone viral, of one carrying off the House Speaker's lectern and another who wore horns and a fur pelt, while a top Democratic lawmaker called on mobile carriers to preserve social media content related to the carnage.
Dozens of people have been charged following the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday, with the FBI asking the public for help identifying participants, given the proliferation of images of the riot on the internet. Five people have died, including a Capitol Hill police officer.
Jacob Anthony Chansley, who featured prominently on social media wearing horns, a fur pelt, face paint and brandishing a spear adorned with the U.S. flag, turned himself in to police, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, called the Washington office of the FBI on Thursday and voluntarily spoke to law enforcement, the DOJ said.
"Chansley said that he came as part of a group effort with other 'patriots' from Arizona, at the request of the President that all 'patriots' come to D.C. on January 6, 2021," the DOJ said in a release.
Federal agents also arrested Adam Christian Johnson, whose photo as he smiled and waved as he carried off House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern had also gone viral. Johnson, of Parrish, Florida, also streamed live video on Facebook of himself as he walked the halls of the Capitol, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The video has been removed from online platforms, and all of his pages have been taken down.
On Saturday, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, who is the incoming chair of the Senate intelligence committee, urged mobile carriers to keep content and associated meta-data connected to the riot, which erupted as lawmakers gathered to certify the election of Democratic president-elect Joe Biden.
Warner, in letters to the companies, emphasized how the rioters took the time to document the event and posted them via social media and text messages "to celebrate their disdain for our democratic process."
He sent letters to AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Apple, Facebook, Gab, Google, Parler, Signal, Telegram and Twitter.
After Wednesday’s insurrectionist attack on our nation’s Capitol, I’m calling on telecom and social media companies to preserve digital evidence of the Capitol riot. <a href="https://t.co/aL8l4dzXmD">pic.twitter.com/aL8l4dzXmD</a>
—@MarkWarnerBefore his arrest, NBC network reported, Chansley gloated about how the crowd infiltrated the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to flee.
"The fact that we had a bunch of traitors in office, hunkered down, put on gas masks and retreat to their underground bunker, I consider that a win," he said to NBC News.
Chansley faces several federal charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
WATCH | Photojournalist recounts scenes during Capitol siege:
Media reports said he had often been seen at rallies supporting President Donald Trump. Efforts by Reuters on Saturday to reach his relatives were unsuccessful, as were attempts to contact Johnson's family.
The Miami Herald reported that on Johnson's social media pages, which have been taken down, he boasted of being in Washington ahead of the riots.
It was unclear where Chansley was being held Saturday, or whether he or Johnson had legal representation.
Johnson, who has a first appearance in federal court on Monday, is being charged out of Washington.
The FBI has put up ads in Washington, D.C. bus shelters as they search for the rioters who invaded the Capitol. They’re still looking for the masked individual suspected of placing pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican national committees. <a href="https://t.co/urhN5OsAVY">pic.twitter.com/urhN5OsAVY</a>
—@thomasdaigleThere were at least 13 people facing criminal charges in U.S. District Court in connection to the rioting, and at least another 40 people were facing lesser charges in the District of Columbia Superior Court, a local venue.
Many of those individuals were arraigned on Thursday and released, with an order from the judge not to return to Washington unless it is for court appearances or meetings with their lawyers.
They included Richard Barnett, from Gravette, Ark., who was photographed sitting at Pelosi's desk and is also known as Bigo.
Among those arrested on Friday for participating in the riot was newly elected West Virginia House of Delegates member Derrick Evans, who announced his resignation on Saturday.
In a one-sentence letter to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, Evans wrote: "I hereby resign as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, effective immediately."
Media reports quoted Evans as saying he wanted to apologize for his actions and that he did not want to create a distraction.
Evans livestreamed himself entering the Capitol on Wednesday and was recorded saying, "We're in, we're in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol," the Justice Department said in a release.
The FBI and Washington's police department are jointly investigating the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was injured while defending the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Flags at the Capitol were lowered to half-mast on Friday in honour of Sicknick.
Capitol Police have said the Washington police homicide unit was probing the death.
"Just because you've left the D.C. region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol," Steven D'Antuono, the FBI Washington Field Office's assistant director in charge, said on Friday.