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Members of the militant groups that stormed the seat of legislative power earlier this month during the certification of the presidential vote have quickly become one of the main areas of interest for federal law enforcement agencies investigating the insurrection of January 6.
At least five suspected rioters with links to self-proclaimed militias have been documented in criminal complaints released in recent days, representing a small but alarming segment of the dozens of defendants indicted to date.
Some of the groups in attendance, like The Oath Keepers, are attempting to draw their ranks from former military and law enforcement officials, relying on their tactical training to patrol and intimidate protests across the country. Many have been radicalized by racial rhetoric and false statements emanating from Trump’s White House, according to security experts.
Through court documents and interviews with several officials familiar with the investigation, their organized role in the Capitol siege emerges and is embedded in cases that could potentially lead to sedition charges, indicating a concerted effort to incite a revolt against the government. .
The information is also critical to efforts to control police and National Guard officers guarding Washington, DC this week.
“It is a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office and our federal law enforcement partners to see if there was this global command and control, and if there were these teams. organized that were organized to violate the Capitol, and then perhaps try to accomplish some kind of mission inside the Capitol, ”Acting District of Columbia Attorney Michael Sherwin said on Friday.
In the hours leading up to dawn on Sunday, FBI agents dispersed around a house in the countryside of Woodstock, Ohio. Inside was the founder of the Ohio State Regular Militia, a group of veterans who had traveled the 450 miles to the nation’s capital, fueled by what they describe as a sense of duty. patriotic as well as a history of grievances against the government and a belief in false statements about the 2020 election broadcast on social media.
“We arrived in Washington. We spent the whole day protecting various speakers on the main stage at Freedom Plaza,” Jessica Watkins, the founder of the Ohio Militia, wrote Jan.6 in a post on the Speaking right-wing social media website.
She posted information about plans for medical and security care at planned protests, offering to escort Trump supporters to their hotels if they felt in danger. But soon after arriving at the Capitol protest, Watkins and his fellow militiamen reportedly moved to the front lines of a takeover.
Along with eight to ten other people dressed in paramilitary gear and Oathkeeper paraphernalia (the regular Ohio State militia pays dues to this group, according to a prosecution document), Watkins began to “aggressively approach an entrance to the Capitol building,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit filed in Federal Court.
“These individuals,” the agent asserted, “move in an organized and practical manner and make their way to the front of the crowd gathered around a door of the United States Capitol.”
After barging in, she made her way with the group into the rotunda and clashed with police officers who tried to block their way, she later wrote on Speak.
“We never broke anything, stole anything, burned nothing, and honestly we were very respectful with Capitol Hill PD until they attacked us,” she wrote. “Then we held on and drew the line.”
Federal authorities arrested Watkins on Sunday and accused her of knowingly entering a restricted building. Another member of the Ohio group, former Marine Donovan Crowl, was also arrested in the state on Sunday for his alleged role in the riots. It is not known who represents one or the other in court.
Focus on established extremist groups
The arrests of the Ohio two are among more than 90 publicly opened criminal cases against insurgent participants in the past two weeks. Prosecutors initially focused on some of the more notorious and viral crimes, such as the man seen walking through Senate chambers with zip ties and the rioter who wore a “Camp Auschwitz” t-shirt, but began to move against suspected members of the “militia” in recent days.
Many established self-proclaimed militias have long aligned themselves with anti-government and extremist causes in the pockets of the United States, and their camouflage gear and military hardware were not out of place in a horde that also included telltale signs of hate groups, like Confederate. Nazi flags and paraphernalia.
Groups like the Oath Keepers, described by the FBI as “a large but loosely organized group of militias who believe the federal government has been co-opted by an obscure plot that attempts to strip American citizens of their rights,” are first became a prominent antagonistic presence during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
The group’s use of military tactics adds an explosive element to already busy situations, the hate group researchers say.
“This dangerous crossroads is one of the reasons we continue to be alarmed by events like the January 6 attack, which provide right-wing extremists with ample opportunities to mingle with ‘regular’ Americans and potentially influence Americans, ”said Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation. League Center on Extremism.
As lawmakers voted to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory inside the Capitol, men affiliated with so-called militias attacked police outside and helped pave the way for people who believed the White House was stolen to clear its way. in.
Colorado man Robert Gieswein, who, according to an FBI affidavit, appears to be affiliated with the Three Percenters, a militia movement that believes a small force with a just cause can topple a tyrannical government if armed and prepared. , is accused of helping to lift and push a barrier against a group of Capitol Hill police officers as he tried to force his way into the building.
Jon Schaffer, the frontman of a popular heavy metal band from Indiana, allegedly sprayed a Capitol Police officer with bear spray while wearing a hat titled “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,” according to documents from the FBI.
Both men face charges related to entering a restricted building and violence. Schaffer was arrested in Indiana on Sunday. It is not known if Gieswein is in detention. It is also not clear whether either of the men retained the services of a lawyer.
Organized efforts?
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Washington, DC have dedicated a team to examine potential sedition charges, browse travel records, communications, and funding channels of rioters suspected of organizing and planning the attempt to disrupt. the transfer of presidential power, according to Sherwin, the interim. American lawyer.
Browsing through tons of images and videos taken during the insurgency, investigators followed the military-style coordination among some of the rioters.
Some members of the crowd inside the Capitol can be seen in a video walking with their hands on their shoulders, which authorities say indicates they were trained in certain paramilitary techniques, according to a person close to the investigation.
Some also used radios to communicate when they moved around the Capitol, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.
Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, an army reservist charged over the weekend for his alleged role in the insurgency, used voice and hand signals to encourage rioters to advance into the building, court documents show.
Federal law enforcement has warned in recent days of the potential for even more extremist violence across the country, including during Wednesday’s inauguration.
However, it is not known to what extent the threat will materialize, as failure to secure the Capitol Hill has led authorities to erect a protective fortress around the perimeter of the government center in downtown Washington.
Even before their arrest, a conspiratorial lean had informed a plan for members of the regular Ohio State militia to stay away from Washington during the inaugural events.
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