An acolyte from QAnon, owner of AR-15, caught with spiked bullets, drove from Wisconsin to Washington, DC on March 3 and told US Capitol Police officers that “maybe I would do something crazy and stupid tomorrow” – the followers From the day of the discredited conspiracy theory mistakenly believed that former President Donald Trump would assume the presidency, according to a criminal complaint filed on March 19 in a federal court.
Ian Alan Olson, who made the 800-mile journey in a 2016 Subaru adorned with QAnon slogans, told a soldier on duty outside the Capitol that he would “test the National Guard tomorrow to see if they were loyal to the people or the President,” that he was “willing to die to fulfill this mission”, and that his “actions would unite eight billion people,” says the complaint.
If he ended up getting shot by the National Guard, Olson said, he would know that the Guard was loyal to President Joe Biden. If the National Guard did not shoot him, Olson claimed that he would know that the Guard was loyal to its citizens. He explained that he would “be taken up by the Spirit of Christ and lead the people to unity,” says the complaint, and that “things can only be resolved with the tip of a gun barrel”.
“Central to the QAnon conspiracy theory is the false belief that the world is governed by a conspiracy of Satan-worshiping pedophiles and child traffickers (allegedly largely composed of prominent Democratic politicians, so-called ‘Deep State’ government officials) , journalists and Hollywood Elite) and that President Trump is secretly working with Q and others to bring down the cabal, ”says a statement attached to the complaint and signed by FBI special agent Justin Mosiman of the Field Office Joint Task Force on Terrorism Milwaukee. “Many QAnon supporters (known as ‘Anons’) refer to themselves as ‘digital soldiers’ and believe that they are involved in an epic battle between good and evil and darkness and light. After the November 3, 2020 election, many prominent QAnon supporters urged the ‘Anons’ to ‘trust the plan’, believing that President-elect Biden’s victory was illusory and part of a plan complicated by [an anonymous government official named] Q and others to reveal the crimes of the cabal to the world, resulting in President Trump getting a second term. “
Dozens of people accused of participating in the January 6 Capitol rebellion were staunch supporters of QAnon. The alleged rebel known as “QAnon Shaman”, for example, left a threatening note for Vice President Mike Pence in the Senate chamber. Another QAnon adherent wearing a “Q” T-shirt was seen physically threatening a police officer and expected to be seen on video so that the QAnon movement would be properly credited for participating in the siege.
In Olson’s case, the Capitol Police determined that he was a danger to himself and others, and admitted him to a DC psychiatric hospital. There, Olson was diagnosed with a “brief psychotic disorder” and was discharged on March 5, the complaint said.
Ten days later, Olson reportedly drove to an Army Reserve base in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, in his car, which contained Q-related phrases, such as “Trust my plan”, “and” WWG1WGA “, a QAnon motto that means “Where we go one, we all go”, spray painted on the doors, hood, roof, rear window and bumpers.
Going to the base, Olson got out of the vehicle, shouted, “This is for America” and fired an AR-15 paintball gun at two uniformed reservists who were about 15 meters away. After allegedly firing “two to three” shots at soldiers, Olson’s paintball gun apparently jammed. At that point, the reservists – one of whom is described as a policeman in civilian life – approached Olson and kept him as a policeman.
A search of Olson’s car revealed a gas mask, throwing knives, a police scanner, two-way radios, a taser and military-style ballistic vest signs, the complaint continues. The officers also found a three-page manuscript manifesto, which contained several mentions of Q and “my plan,” according to a detention motion filed by prosecutors.
Olson was charged at Waukesha County Jail on three counts of misdemeanor: terrorist threats; battery attempt; and disorderly conduct. During processing, Olson said he had recently returned from Washington, DC, where he was unable to send the “message” he hoped to convey. According to the complaint, he then said that he planned to cause “massive casualties” when he left and muttered under his breath, “People will remember my name”.
After refusing to speak to a mental health professional, Olson was released from custody on March 16. His wife consented to a search of his home, where police officers found a – very real – AR-15 rifle with a sight, a suppressor and seven clips loaded with spiked ammunition. Olson’s family told police that there were several pistols “still pending” and that they would hand them over to the authorities.
On March 19, the FBI arrested Olson on two federal charges related to the incident at the Army Reserve base: assaulting United States military personnel on account of service; and assaulting, resisting or preventing certain officers or officials – both misdemeanors.
He does not yet have a lawyer listed in the court records and has not been reached for comment.