US judge blocks release of Tennessee man amid Capitol riot

A federal judge has blocked the release of a Tennessee man who authorities said wore flexible plastic handcuffs during the riot on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A federal judge on Sunday blocked the release of a Tennessee man who authorities said wore flexible plastic handcuffs during the riot on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month.

U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell for the District of Columbia overturned an order by a Tennessee judge regarding the release of Eric Munchel from Nashville. Howell stayed the lower court order pending a review.

After testifying at a detention hearing, US Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Frensley of the Middle District of Tennessee on Friday determined that Munchel was not a flight risk and was not causing harm to the public.

Federal prosecutors have argued that Munchel’s offenses are serious enough to detain him pending trial to ensure the safety of the community.

According to court records, an FBI search of Munchel’s house revealed the tactical equipment he was wearing during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, five pairs of plastic handcuffs, several weapons, hundreds cartridges and a drum magazine.

Munchel is accused of violent entry and disorderly conduct on the Capitol grounds, conspiracy and civil unrest. He risks up to 20 years if convicted.

Munchel has been in federal custody since his arrest on January 10, when he surrendered to authorities.

In a memorandum in support of the detention, prosecutors said Munchel traveled to Washington with his mother, Lisa Eisenhart, who was also charged in the Capitol Riot. The two attended Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in which the former president repeated his baseless claims of electoral fraud and urged the crowd to march to Capitol Hill and “fight like hell.”

Court documents allege Munchel entered the Senate chamber just minutes after the chamber was evacuated.

Munchel “saw himself as a revolutionary, in the mold of those who overthrew the British government in the American Revolution”, according to court documents. He was “dressed for combat” with “combat boots, military fatigues, a tactical vest, gloves and a gaiter that covered his entire face except his eyes,” the documents say. He also carried a stun gun on his hip and mounted a cell phone to his chest to record the events.