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Post by Admin on Jan 14, 2021 6:22:10 GMT
One of the most enduring images of the assault on the U.S. Capitol was that of a long-haired, bearded man wearing a black sweatshirt with a skull and crossbones graphic and the words "Camp Auschwitz" in large letters.
The FBI, in an affidavit released prior to a court appearance Wednesday, identified him as Robert Packer, 56, of Newport News, Va.
Packer was arrested at his residence, according to the affidavit, and appeared Wednesday in a virtual hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas Miller in Norfolk, Va. Packer faces two criminal counts: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
The affidavit says that Packer was first identified by "media outlets" and that the FBI matched photographs taken at the Capitol with Packer's driver's license. The affidavit includes images of Packer both outside and inside the Capitol that had appeared on social media and on a British television network.
Camp Auschwitz refers to the complex of German labor and extermination camps in occupied Poland during World War II in which more than 1 million people were murdered, most of them Jews. Packer's sweatshirt also included the words "Work Brings Freedom," an inexact translation of the German slogan that was over the camp's entrance gate, "Arbeit Macht Frei."
Packer was released on his own recognizance, according to Norfolk NBC affiliate WAVY. He was not required to post bond but was ordered to stay away from Washington, D.C. He has a virtual court appearance scheduled for Jan. 19 in the U.S. District Court for D.C.
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Post by Admin on Jan 14, 2021 19:25:13 GMT
A Pennsylvania man whom authorities say threw a fire extinguisher and struck a Capitol Police officer during the deadly riot at the US Capitol last week has been arrested and charged in federal court. Robert Sanford, 55, was arrested on Thursday morning in Pennsylvania, the Justice Department said. Court documents say Sanford was seen on video carrying a "red object, which appears to be a fire extinguisher," as he stepped over a short wall at the lower west terrace of the Capitol. He allegedly threw the fire extinguisher toward police officers, striking one, who was wearing a helmet, before ricocheting and hitting two others. Officer William Young said he "felt a hard strike to the back of his helmet," according to the court documents, and saw a fire extinguisher on the ground but didn't see who struck him. Young was evaluated at the hospital and cleared to return to duty. The records said Sanford was identified on Tuesday to the FBI's Pennsylvania branch and charged on Wednesday in US District Court. He faces four counts: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds; civil disorder; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers while engaged in the performance of official duties, the documents say. It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
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Post by Admin on Jan 16, 2021 0:57:16 GMT
Two-time Olympic gold medaling swimmer Klete Keller turned himself in to federal authorities on Thursday on charges connected to his alleged involvement in the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week. Keller, who earned five medals at three Olympic games in the 2000s, was charged with three crimes in U.S. District Court in Denver and was released without bond, per the Arizona Republic. The charges were unveiled Wednesday before he turned himself in and the judge detailed them and the maximum sentences during a court hearing on Thursday. Keller could also face additional charges. Keller faces charges at court hearing According to a U.S. District Court criminal complaint filed in Washington, D.C., the 38-year-old is charged with: The first has a maximum penalty of five years in prison, Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty said at the hearing, via the Republic. Each of the charges carry a maximum $250,000 fine. Per the Washington Post, Keller could face up to 15 1/2 years in jail. Keller is not allowed to leave Colorado except to visit his children in North Carolina. He worked as a commercial real estate agent until Tuesday when he was identified in photos from the Capitol riot. Klete Keller turned himself in on three charges related to the Capitol riots. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images) Keller was allegedly part of the mob that invaded the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday while Congress was certifying the 2020 election results won by Joe Biden. The invasion left five people dead. SwimSwam first reported the news of Keller’s involvement in the attack and several people confirmed his identity to the New York Times. A video shows a tall man in a Team USA jacket who people identified as Keller inside the Capitol rotunda as police attempt to hold rioters back. At 6-foot-6 he is easy to spot in the crowd.
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2021 0:59:23 GMT
Thousands of National Guardsmen were allowed back into the Capitol Thursday night, hours after U.S. Capitol Police officials ordered them to vacate the facilities, sending them outdoors or to nearby parking garages after two weeks pulling security duty after the deadly riot on Jan. 6. One unit, which had been resting in the Dirksen Senate Office building, was abruptly told to vacate the facility on Thursday, according to one Guardsman. The group was forced to rest in a nearby parking garage without internet reception, with just one electrical outlet, and one bathroom with two stalls for 5,000 troops, the person said. Temperatures in Washington were in the low 40s by nightfall. “Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed,” the Guardsman said. POLITICO obtained photos showing the Guard members packed together in the parking garage, sleeping on the ground. All National Guard troops were told to vacate the Capitol and nearby congressional buildings on Thursday, and to set up mobile command centers outside or in nearby hotels, another Guardsman confirmed. They were told to take their rest breaks during their 12-hour shifts outside and in parking garages, the person said. Top lawmakers from both parties took to Twitter to decry the decision and call for answers after POLITICO first reported the news Thursday night, with some even offering their offices to be used as rest areas. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted: “If this is true, it's outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this.” And Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) noted that the Capitol complex remains closed to members of the public, “so there’s plenty of room for troops to take a break in them.” By 10 p.m., Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said the situation was “being resolved” and that the Guardsmen would be able to return indoors later in the night. “Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight,” added Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both of her legs in combat. “I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 31, 2021 19:51:05 GMT
Two women were arrested in connection to the U.S. Capitol riot where one of them posted a video on social media saying they were looking for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "to shoot her in the friggin’ brain but we didn’t find her,” according to federal prosecutors. Dawn Bancroft and Diana Santos-Smith were arrested in Pennsylvania Friday after federal authorities received a tip about the "selfie" video, which appeared to be filmed by Bancroft, according to the criminal complaint. The video depicted Bancroft wearing a red “Make America Great Again” ski-cap style hat and Santos-Smith with a “Make America Great Again” baseball hat in the process of attempting to exit the U.S. Capitol building alongside a mob of other supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6. “We broke into the Capitol … we got inside, we did our part,” Bancroft said in the video, according to the complaint. “We were looking for Nancy to shoot her in the friggin’ brain but we didn’t find her.” When interviewed by the FBI around Inauguration Day, Santos-Smith initially told authorities she attended Trump’s rally but did not enter the Capitol building. When agents showed her Bancroft's "selfie" video, Santos-Smith admitted she lied. Santos-Smith said she entered the Capitol to protest but had not planned it in advanced, according to the criminal complaint. While both Bancroft and Santos-Smith admitted they entered the Capitol building "for approximately 30 seconds to one minute," they denied entering to any offices.
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