‘QAnon shaman’ Jake Angeli taken into custody for assaulting US Capitol

Jake Angeli, who was photographed on Wednesday shirtless inside the Senate chamber, wearing a horned hat and a painted face, was taken into custody on Saturday, according to the Justice Department.

“Jacob Anthony Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli of Arizona, was accused of intentionally entering or staying in any restricted building or land without legal authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Hill,” the Justice Department said in a statement. .

“It is alleged that Chansley was identified as the man seen on the media coverage who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless and beige pants,” he said. “This individual carried a spear approximately six feet long, with an American flag tied just below the blade.”

Protester in the Senate Chamber
A Trump supporter, later identified as Arizona’s Jake Angeli, shouts “Freedom” inside the Senate Chamber after the U.S. Capitol was violated by a crowd during a joint Congressional session on January 6, 2021.

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Angeli appeared in several pro-Trump protests in Pheonix, Arizona, and is widely known as the “QAnon Shaman, “according to CBS affiliate KPHO. He also appeared at rallies in Arizona protesting the closure of companies due to COVID-19, according to the Arizona Republic.

In a previous interview for the Republic, Angeli said she wears her hat and painted face to attract attention so she can better share her beliefs about QAnon.

“The snowball is rolling and it’s just getting bigger,” said Angeli at a rally in February 2020, according to the newspaper. “We are the mainstream now.”

Angeli is one of many pro-Trump protesters who invaded the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to evacuate during the counting of votes at the Electoral College. The vast majority of protesters managed to leave without being arrested, forcing the FBI to launch a nationwide manhunt for those involved in the attack.

Many have already been identified through photos or videos taken during the siege, resulting in a series of arrests and even layoffs. The Arkansas man who was photographed sitting at the mayor’s desk, Nancy Pelosi, was arrested on Friday, officials said, as was a West Virginia lawmaker who filmed himself breaking into the Capitol.

Another man, photographed smiling and waving while carrying the pulpit of Mayor Nancy Pelosi, during the riot, was also charged on Saturday. The photograph went viral, and the authorities soon identified it as Adam Johnson, 36, residing in Parrish, Florida.

“Just because you left the DC area, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out that you were part of criminal activity on Capitol Hill,” said Steven D’Antuono, of the FBI’s Washington office.

Fifteen people have been charged at the federal level and officials say 40 others have been charged in DC’s High Court.

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