The FBI arrested a Pennsylvania woman accused of using a megaphone to target protesters during the Capitol siege last month, federal prosecutors said.
Rachel Powell surrendered to the agency on Thursday night, before being taken to Butler County Prison, about 1 am on Friday morning, said NBC affiliate WPXI.
Hours earlier, the FBI obtained a search warrant to break into his home on Sandy Lake, about 65 miles north of Pittsburgh, the station reported. The agents searched her home unsuccessfully before she surrendered at the end of the day.
Powell, a single mother of eight, faces charges of obstruction, depredation of government property, restricted building or land with dangerous weapon, restricted building or land and violent entry or disorderly conduct, prosecutors said.
Michael Engle, Powell’s lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
In an affidavit obtained by NBC News, an FBI official said Powell could be seen “wearing a pink hat and a black jacket with a fur-lined hood” in photos and videos of the day of the attack. These images were shared on the FBI’s Twitter page.
The videos appear to show Powell carrying a battering ram to break windows and using a megaphone to direct rioters during the attack on the Capitol, according to the court document. Powell was heard telling the rowdies that they had “another window to break” and that they should “coordinate if you are going to take this building,” said the statement.
In a story on Tuesday at The New Yorker, Powell acknowledged his role at Capitol events, but said he did not act in coordination with an organized group.
She is due to appear in court on Friday afternoon.
Dozens of other people were arrested or charged after the pro-Trump crowd stormed the Capitol in a riot that led to the deaths of five people, including Capitol policeman Brian Sicknick.
