The FBI on Monday accused a man accused of participating in the Capitol riots after receiving several tips from people who recognized his school jacket and the number in the chaos images.
Brian Gundersen, of Armonk, New York, faces charges of entering a restricted building or land with the intention of interrupting government business and speaking loud, threatening or abusive language, or engaging in disorderly or disturbing conduct because of the Capitol, according to an arrest warrant.
A police chief in North Castle Township, New York, called the FBI to report that the superintendent of Byram Hills High School in Armonk and several community members had seen a Byram Hills High School jacket among the sea of protesters on Capitol Hill on January 6.
The superintendent did not immediately know who the troublemaker was, but the police chief later reported to the FBI that he believed the troublemaker in the images was Gundersen, who was known to the police, the warrant said.
One of the images of the man in the jacket, shown on CNN, reveals that the jacket had a two-digit number ending in “0”, the billing documents said. Gundersen used the number 70.
Other people also sent tips to the FBI identifying Gundersen as the man wearing the letterman jacket. One person told the FBI that Gundersen was an “avid” supporter of former President Donald Trump and far-right commentator Nick Fuentes, the arrest warrant said.
The GPS data on Gundersen’s phone also indicated that he was in Washington, DC, on the morning of January 6, 2021. He had sent messages to people that he and others “might be able to break into the White House and take over the White House. control “and that he was going to” an event “on Capitol Hill” in 2 days that will have millions of people to protest the results of our election “, the warrant said.
After the riot, Gundersen wrote in a message: “We all invaded the US capital (sic) and tried to take over the government … We failed, but f — that”, according to the FBI. He also researched “Pelosi at Google office “after the riot, the billing documents said.
He also sent photos of the phone after the attack, according to the billing documents. One showed members of Congress protecting themselves, which Gundersen captioned: “Look at these frightened pets ——.”
He also sent a photo of himself in the commotion with the school jacket to someone, commenting, “They may have found me” and wrote on his Facebook page that he was at the Capitol on January 6, according to the prosecution documents.
Still, when he was interviewed by the FBI on January 19, Gundersen denied having participated in the Capitol riots. He later admitted he was there and claimed that he was “pushed” into the Capitol building by the crowd, according to the FBI.
Online court records do not yet list a lawyer for Gundersen. Attempts to reach him by phone were unsuccessful on Tuesday.
