A New York man was arrested for his alleged role in the deadly US Capitol invasion – after posting an image of the crowd on Instagram with the words “This is me” and a pointing emoji superimposed on it, according to authorities .
Edward Jacob Lang was arrested on Saturday at his Newburgh home, according to the FBI and the Mid-Hudson News Network.
He faces charges of aggression, resistance or impediment by certain police or officials, civil disorder, access to a restricted building or land, and violent entry or disorderly conduct, according to federal authorities.
Lang was reportedly among the crowd of President Trump supporters who besieged the Capitol on January 6 in an attempt to delay Congressional certification of Joe Biden’s election victory, an invasion that ended with five dead, including a State Capitol policeman United.
Instead of trying to cover his tracks, Lang documented his alleged involvement and the consequences on his Instagram and Facebook pages, according to a statement made on Friday by the FBI in support of an arrest warrant.
An image posted in Lang’s Instagram story shows a crowd of protesters at the entrance to the Capitol, overlaid with the capital words “THIS IS ME” and an emoji of a hand with a pointing index finger, according to the document.
Another post on Lang’s Facebook page – which, like his Instagram account, was inactive on Sunday – carries a long message in which he claims to have witnessed the death of a woman and to have been shot during the riot, officials said.
“I saw a woman die yesterday in front of my eyes. I saved 2 others from being trampled and smothered by the Capitol Police, ”he reportedly wrote. “I was shot lethally in the foot, [sic] it broke several places, stitches on my skull, deep cuts across my body – for freedom and freedom and to defend the American Constitution. “
Lang’s own social media posts were not the only ones that put him in the riot, according to authorities.
Video footage of “an individual with a consistent appearance with Lang” shows the man attacking police officers outside the Capitol with a baseball bat, officials say.
And a video posted on an unspecified Twitter account captures a man identified by authorities as Lang discussing the next steps with an unidentified woman.
“So, what do you think happens next?” the woman asks, according to the court records.
“Weapons. That’s it, ”replies the man identified as Lang. “The First Amendment did not work, we removed the Second.”
It was not immediately clear whether Lang had hired a lawyer while awaiting an initial court hearing.
Several New Yorkers are among the dozens arrested in connection with the riot, including also an MTA official who has excused himself to travel to Washington, DC, and a former American Marine who lit a “victory” cigar inside the Capitol.
Many of the prisoners were murdered by a mountain of incriminating images obtained by the FBI.