A federal judge has blocked the release of a man allegedly brought to the Capitol during the January 6 uprising as prosecutors say court documents and officials say they are considering charging Tennessee with rioting for his role in the attack. .
Eric Munchel, a 30-year-old man from Nashville, will remain behind bars as a result of U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell’s Sunday decision to suspend an order by a judge in Tennessee.
After testimony during a detention hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frensley for the Tennessee Central District ruled Friday that Munchel is not a flight risk and poses no harm to the public.
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Eric Munchel, 30, is believed to be a man who was photographed with zippers during the riot at the Capitol building in the Senate chamber, the FBI said. (Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images)
But Howell, who sits in the District of Columbia, upheld the lower court’s order pending a review.
Federal prosecutors have argued that Munchel’s offenses are serious enough to keep him pending trial to ensure community safety.
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According to court records, an FBI investigation into Munchel’s home revealed the tactical equipment he was carrying during the January 6 storm of the Capitol, five pairs of plastic handcuffs, multiple weapons, hundreds of shots of ammunition and a drum-style magazine.
Munchel is charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds, conspiracy and civil disorder. He faces up to 20 years if convicted.
In court documents filed Sunday, prosecutors said they have information that could lead to possible additional crimes, such as rioting.
“The evidence gathered so far subjects the accused to offenses outside the case with which he has been charged so far, including obstructing Congress, traveling through the countries in promoting riots, riots and other offenses,” prosecutors wrote. and argues that Munchel is being held. in custody.
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They continued: ‘These offenses involve significant penalties, which incite the flight and evade law enforcement – a thought the accused apparently considered on the grounds of avoiding his home and workplace, terminating his Facebook account and leaving from his cell phone to an employee. “
Prosecutors said Munchel traveled to Washington with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, who was also charged in the Capitol riot. The two took part in President Trump’s fiery ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in which the then president urged the crowd to ‘fight like hell’ and remarked that they would march ‘peacefully’ to the Capitol.
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In court documents, it is alleged that Munchel entered the Senate chamber a few minutes after the chamber was evacuated.
Munchel ‘saw himself as a revolutionary, in the form of those who overthrew the British government in the American Revolution’, according to court documents. He was “dressed for a fight” with “combat boots, military fatigue, a tactical vest, gloves and a robe that covered his entire face except his eyes,” the document reads. He also carried a shock gun on his hip and mounted a cellphone to his chest to record events.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.