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A Michigan man, who was reportedly seen attacking police with a hockey stick during riots on the United States Capitol, was arrested Thursday after FBI agents obtained involuntary help from the suspect’s father, posted on Facebook, officials said.
Michael Joseph Foy, 29, was arrested in the Detroit suburb of Wixom around 6:30 a.m., according to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He made a brief court appearance about seven hours later and was ordered to remain in jail until his next hearing on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Foy was reportedly among the rioters, urged by former President Donald Trump to lie about electoral fraud, which stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. .
He faces charges of entering a restricted building, obstructing a law enforcement officer, obstructing federal officials, aiding and abetting and obstructing official work of Congress, officials said.
The FBI said it had a video showing Foy targeting members of the Metropolitan Police Department with the hockey stick.
“Foy begins beating a group of Metropolitan Police officers assisting in the protection of the United States Capitol who had been knocked down and drawn into the mob of rioters,” authorities said in an affidavit.
“This attack continues for about 16 seconds until Foy is knocked down by another rioter. At that point, Foy walks back into the crowd, pulls his hood down, revealing a clear image of his face.”
Officers were brought to Foy using photos of the suspect posted to Facebook by his father, Joseph Foy, the FBI said.
The father posted a photo of Foy wearing a “Trump 2020” flag – affixed to a hockey stick – in front of the Washington Monument on Jan.6, according to the affidavit. In another image, the suspect was draped in an American flag.
Foy was first on the FBI’s radar when an informant told officers he was involved in the attack that killed a Capitol Hill officer, court documents show. But the affidavit clearly states that there is “no evidence that the suspect killed a police officer.”
“We nevertheless include this fact to explain the investigative steps that were taken subsequently,” the affidavit said.
Members of the Foy family could not be reached immediately for comment on public phone numbers in Wixom and Westland, Michigan. A federal public defender represented Foy during his initial appearance and this lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
Ali Gostanian and Matteo Moschella contributed.
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