Riot on Capitol Hill: discussions on basic training in new accused cases



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The Justice Department on Wednesday indicted Thomas Caldwell of Virginia and Jessica Watkins and Donovan Crowl of Ohio, alleging that the three are affiliated with the Oath Keepers, a far-right group, and that Watkins discussed a basic training in Ohio and Crowl attended. training in North Carolina by January 6.

The Oath Keepers generally believe the federal government has been corrupted and that former military and police can defend the Constitution as a self-proclaimed militia, court records show.

Paramilitary groups have become a major concern for investigators as they scramble to understand why participants in the Trump rally were armed and wearing bulletproof vests, and how extremist groups coordinated prior to the siege. And mentions of training camps littered some of the earliest court files accusing paramilitary-linked rioters of federal crimes.
This is at least the second case related to the riots on Capitol Hill where the defendants are said to have links to military-style training. In the other case, against Robert Gieswein of Colorado, federal law enforcement claims he wore a patch on his tactical vest on Capitol Hill representing a group called Woodland Wild Dogs, a private paramilitary training organization that he led. .

Geiswein was also indicted Wednesday by the DC grand jury on six counts, including the use of an irritant spray and a baseball bat against US Capitol Police.

Paramilitary training had also been a feature of the case against Michigan right-wing extremists who plotted to kidnap the Democratic governor and participated in tactical training.

At a press conference this week, the US attorney in Washington, DC – Michael Sherwin – described the Caldwell case as a case that showed active planning among militias, and said law enforcement were working on the construction of sedition conspiracy cases.

The indictment filed on Wednesday against the alleged Oath Keepers does not include an account of sedition, although it accuses Caldwell, Crowl and Watkins of speaking out and discussing the means by which they might hinder certification by Congress of the Electoral College vote confirming Joe Biden as the 46th president.

The three would have communicated for nearly two months before January 6 on how they would prepare, including talking about training.

‘Basic training course’

In early November, nearly a week after the presidential election, Watkins texted those interested in his paramilitary group in Ohio about a week-long “basic training course” led by a sergeant. instructor near Columbus to become “combat capable” for the inauguration, prosecutors revealed Wednesday.

Prosecutors also pointed out that Crowl attended a training camp in North Carolina in December.

Watkins also responded to an invitation to a “leadership” conference call about a “DC op” on the Signal encrypted messaging application.

Caldwell and Crowl also reportedly sent a message about meeting a “North Carolina crew,” the indictment says.

Prosecutors say in addition to the oath-keepers, Watkins and Crowl are also part of a group called the Ohio State Regular Militia, which has some members who pay dues to the oath-keepers.

The indictment approved by the DC grand jury on Wednesday formalizes four charges that prosecutors previously brought against the three, including conspiracy, obstruction of formal process, destruction of government property and illegal entry into restricted grounds from the US Capitol.

When they were first charged, the case was the first significant conspiracy allegation linked to the attack on the Capitol. The Justice Department alleges that the three extremists planned and coordinated the January 6 attack, starting in November of last year, as they discussed accommodation and meetings in Washington.

The indictment filed Wednesday added details about the Oath Keepers’ use of the Zello walkie-talkie-style app to communicate and their intentions for January 6.

Watkins, for example, reportedly said on a channel called “Stop the Steal J6”: “We have a good group. We are about 30 to 40 people. We are sticking together and sticking to the plan,” the Department of Justice said.

In other SMS and Facebook messages by January 6, Caldwell wrote about the need to “get violent” and a “call to action” in Washington.

They discussed buses of people from across the country, including North Carolina, and three anonymous people they were in communication with, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors say Watkins and Crowl left Ohio to stay with Caldwell in Virginia after the siege, before their arrest.

The three have yet to formally respond to the indictment in federal court in Washington.

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