The Justice Department has accused suspected members of Three Percenters, a militia group that emerged a few years ago from the extremist wing of the arms rights movement, and Oath Keepers, an extreme right militia group founded by veteran law enforcement and military personnel , as it works to determine whether extremist groups conspired to attack Congress.
The charges include illegal entry, assaulting a federal officer, disorderly conduct, destruction of federal property, obstruction of official procedure and obstruction of justice.
On Sunday night, Donovan Crowl, 50, a former US Marine, and Jessica Watkins, 38, an Army veteran, surrendered to authorities in Ohio after they posted photos of themselves on social media wearing combat clothing and saying that had invaded the Capitol on January 6 to prevent Congress from certifying the victory of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s Electoral College.
The FBI said that Ms. Watkins’ group is a unit of the Oath Keepers and that she and Mr. Donovan used Oath Keepers stickers.
The recent arrests of veterans and former law enforcement officers underscore the Justice Department’s concern that some of the attackers may have been part of more coordinated efforts to attack Congress and that they employed specialized skills in the attack. Videos and photos revealed chilling scenes of rioters in tactical suits moving among the mobs inside the Capitol in compact formation, wearing tactical equipment, carrying restrictions and using hand signals to communicate.
Michael R. Sherwin, the US attorney in Washington, said on Friday that his prosecutors are working to build more serious cases of sedition and murder against these groups if the evidence permits, and that he will focus on militia members and other extremists. it would be a priority. .
“All of these extremist groups are being seen in terms of their participation in the Capitol,” said Sherwin.
Federal prosecutors also revealed the charges this weekend against Robert Gieswein, 24, of Woodland Park, Colorado, who they say is affiliated with Three Percenters. The group’s name is a reference to the supposed three percent of the US colonial population who rose to fight the British army.
Gieswein, who runs a private paramilitary training group called Woodland Wild Dogs, was among the first invaders to break into the building, court documents say. Photos of the attack show him wearing a military vest, goggles and an army-style helmet, fighting with Capitol Police officers to remove metal barricades and brandishing a baseball bat. In a criminal complaint, prosecutors cite a video showing Gieswein encouraging other protesters as they break a Capitol window with a wooden plaque and plastic shield, and then climb the broken glass into the building.
The FBI also arrested Guy Wesley Reffitt of Texas and accused him of obstruction on Saturday. The FBI said he belonged to Texas Freedom Force, an extremist militia group, while Reffitt’s wife said he was a member of the Three Percenters.
The deadly attack on Capitol Hill is expected to be a “significant factor in violence” for armed militia groups and racist extremists in the coming days, federal officials said in recently issued intelligence bulletins.