The FBI found hundreds of files with detailed instructions on how to make weapons, poisons and bombs in the home of a man arrested for participating in the January 6 uprising on Capitol Hill.
Dominic Pezzola – a member of the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump extremist group – was caught in photos and videos breaking into a Capitol building window with a police shield, allowing protesters to enter, the FBI found. In a memo arguing that Pezzola should be arrested before his trial, the government also accused him of overtaking a line of police with shock equipment and being in the group of people who chased officer Eugene Goodman up the stairs near the Senate chamber.
The memo details an interview with a witness, who told the FBI that Pezzola, known online as “Spaz”, was part of a group of people who broke into the Capitol, all of whom “had firearms or access to firearms” and said that they “planned to kill every ‘m-fer’ they can”.
The witness also said that Pezzola and his group “would have killed Mike Pence if they had the chance”.
After the insurrection, Pezzola at first tried to escape, the memo says, hanging up the phone, shaving his wild beard and leaving his home in the Rochester, New York area. After the FBI started knocking on relatives’ doors, he gave himself up. The FBI then searched your home.
The memo states that the FBI found a thumb drive in “a room that appeared to be used exclusively by the defendant”, containing hundreds of files with these and similar titles: “Advanced improvised explosives”, “Explosive dust”, “Incendiaries” , “The Box Tube MAC-11: The Ultimate DIY Machine Pistol”, “The Great Book of Homemade Weapons by Ragnar” and “The Advanced Anarchist’s Arsenal: Recipes for Arsonists and Improvised Explosives”.
“Pezzola represents a serious danger to the community and a serious risk of escape,” says the memo. “The circumstances of the crimes accused in this case overwhelmingly support detention. The seriousness of the crimes for which the defendant is accused cannot be overstated. “
He was arrested in New York and is currently being held pending a hearing. A judge will determine whether you will continue your detention while the case progresses in court. He is currently accused of destroying government property, obstructing an official procedure (the Congressional vote to validate Joe Biden’s presidential victory) and entering the Capitol.
The memo and a statement sent by an FBI agent track Pezzola’s progress on the Capitol and within it through a series of videos and images posted on Parler and other social media platforms. The images appear to show him fighting a line of policemen and grabbing one of his shields before climbing a Capitol window and making his way, along with others around him. Once inside, the files say, he and members of the group he was with tried to pressure a police officer to say where members of Congress were. The videos and photos seem to show him with a headset, a device that other people who invaded Capitol were also portrayed using. The videos also show him smoking a cigar near the Senate House, saying: “I knew we could end this son of a bitch [if we] just tried enough. “
In some of the social media posts the FBI attributed to Pezzola, he identifies himself as a member of the Proud Boys, who had a strong presence in the January 6 riot, as well as a veteran of the Marines. A tattoo on his right arm signifies the military occupational specialty of the Infantry Assault Navy, according to the Daily Beast.
His next hearing on whether to keep him in detention will be on February 1.