Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer was among those photographed during the January 6 riot in the Capitol building and his band members have now issued statements about his involvement in which they appear not to approve of the riots or acts of violence.
Both Luke Appleton and Stu Block posted a group statement on their Instagram accounts (seen below) which reads as follows:
We would like to thank those of you who have sent words of support over the past few days. Some of you are concerned about our silence, which we understand. We needed time to process the information properly and find out facts before we made a statement.
We absolutely do NOT tolerate and do not support the riots or the violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6 at the American Capitol building. We hope that all those involved will be brought to justice the day before to investigate and answer for their actions.
With broken hearts, we send our love and condolences to all who experienced pain from the events of January 6th. We are deeply saddened and our hearts go out to the families of the lives lost that day. There are really no right words to comfort. Just know we are with you in your shock, sadness and pain. Much love to you all.
Stu, Luke, Jake, Brent
Earlier this week, Block was pressured for a comment on Schaffer’s involvement and initially said: ‘I live in Canada and do not really do political things or share my faith. [sic]. I have chosen to spread love and not comment or allow any hatred on me [social media]. I hope yo [sic] understand, ‘he added.
In addition, Blind Guardian, a group that counts Hansi Kürsch among its ranks, also offered a statement. Kürsch is a bandmate of Schaffer in the band Demons & Wizards. The statement is posted on the Blind Guardian website:
We are deeply shocked and we think of the relatives of the deceased. We expressly distance ourselves from any form of violence, regardless of whether it is used against institutions or persons. The incidents will be thoroughly investigated and those responsible will be brought to justice. We ask you to understand that we will not comment further at this time.
Not long after Schaffer’s photo surfaced amid images of the riot at the Capitol building, it was revealed that the musician was a “person interested in unrest-related offenses” in a photo taken by the MPDC ( Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia).
A day later, Schaffer’s name appeared in the “Most Wanted” section of the FBI’s website. Schaffer’s image falls into the ‘In Search of Information’ subcategory, which should not be confused with the FBI’s famous Top 10 Most Wanted list.