A riot of the Capitol, known as the “QAnon Shaman”, was detained for trial, after federal prosecutors in Arizona initially uttered his words and actions during the January 6 siege shows that the rioters’ intention was to “capture and kill” lawmakers. Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Sherwin, later said there was no “direct evidence” of killing and trapping teams, and a prosecutor later removed the line from the memorandum and asked a judge to detain him , according to The Associated Press.
Jacob Chansley, 33, of Arizona, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 11 on two counts of interfering with law enforcement while committing civil disorder and obstructing a congressional process, threatening congressional officials and disorderly conduct. Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, was also charged with four offenses.
Prosecutors say Chansley, a well-known Arizona rally, is a “self-proclaimed leader” in the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. Images of a shirtless Chansley storming the Capitol, with horns, a fur coyote tail cap and face paint, with a bullhorn and a spear, quickly went viral on social media. He is being held in a federal detention facility in Arizona.
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In a detention memorandum filed Thursday, U.S. prosecutors in Arizona argue that Chansley would pose a “continuing danger to the community” and would be a flight risk if released. While they were in the Capitol, prosecutors argued, Chansley approached Keith Robishaw, a U.S. Capitol police officer, shouting that ‘this was their home, that they were there to get senators, and that they were there to enter the Capitol. take, to get Congress Leaders’, the memorandum reads. “Chansley also used his bullhorn to communicate that they were there to take out several U.S. lawmakers,” the documentation says.
The memorandum also says “while Officer Robishaw tried to suppress the crowd, Chansley used his bullhorn to inflate it.”
Prosecutors originally argued in the memo that “Strong evidence, including Chansley’s own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and kill elected officials in the U.S. government,” The Associated Press report. But at a Friday hearing for Chansley in Phoenix, another prosecutor crossed that line.
The prosecutor said the statement could be fair during the trial, but added that prosecutors, according to the AP, did not want to mislead the court.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Columbia District Michael Sherwin told reporters Friday that there is no direct evidence of teams “killing or capturing” but that there is “breadcrumbs” indicating some coordination between some groups inside and outside the Capitol. Sherwin, whose office is leading the massive federal investigation into the riot, said understanding the riot’s motives and the level of advance planning could take weeks or months.
In their submission, prosecutors in Arizona say that Chansley then entered the Senate chamber with a group of about 25 rioters, for photos at the scene where Vice President Mike Pence was minutes before, leaving a note with the words: ‘It is just a matter of time. Justice is coming. ‘
The next day, prosecutors say Chansley called the FBI office in Washington, admitted that he was involved and described Pence as a “traitor of child trafficking”, but said he did not intend the letter to be a threat. is not. When asked about the meaning of the note, he begins with a “long diatribe” describing current and former lawmakers, including Pence, former Secretary of State Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President-elect Joe Biden as ” infiltrators involved in various kinds of wrongdoing. ‘
“Although he said his note was not a threat, the government did not completely agree,” the prosecutor said.
Chansley was arrested on Jan. 9, when he was unaware of a sealed warrant for his arrest, prosecutors say he drove to an FBI office in Phoenix with the intent to “continue his interview.” According to the memorandum, he brought the headdress, the spear, the horns, the face paint and the bullhorn into the trunk of his car.
Prosecutors describe Chansley as a ‘follower leader’ in the QAnon ideology who advocated dangerous conspiracy theories and described ‘pending’ legislators he called ‘traitors’ on social media.
“He has repeatedly shown dramatic, erratic behavior, an inability to meet social norms, and an unwillingness to appreciate the consequences of his actions,” the documentary reads. “He sticks to his own belief system, acts accordingly regardless of the criminal consequences, and brings others together.”
They say Chansley also promised to return to Washington, DC for the inauguration of President Biden.
“At this stage in the history of our country, it is difficult to imagine a greater risk to our democracy and community than the armed revolution of which Chansley made himself the symbol,” prosecutors wrote.
However, Chansley’s lawyer, Albert Watkins, painted a completely different picture in a statement on Thursday. Watkins said Chansley was unarmed, non-violent and peacefully surrendered to the FBI. The lawyer said Chansley and others who entered the Capitol did so on behalf of President Donald Trump, and appealed to Mr. Trump to forgive Chansley and other “like-minded, peaceful individuals who accepted the president’s invitation with honorable intent.”
“Mr. Chansley is an American; he has served honorably in the U.S. Army,” Watkins said in a statement. “He has no criminal history. He loves nature, practices meditation regularly, is an active practitioner of yoga and eats only organic food. He took President Trump’s countless messages seriously. He believed in President Trump. Like tens of millions of other Americans, Chansley – for the first time in his life – felt as if his voice was being heard. ‘
So far, more than 200 people are under investigation and more than 100 are facing local or federal charges in the January 6 riot in which five people were killed. Hundreds more charges are expected as federal investigators search for tips, videos and social media to identify and arrest suspects across the country.
Those already charged are facing various offenses, ranging from evening clock violations, illegal trespassing and disorderly conduct to theft, assault and weapon offenses. A team of senior federal prosecutors is investigating more serious charges, including sedition and conspiracy related to the “most heinous” acts at the Capitol, Sherwin said Tuesday.
Catherine Herridge reported.