Ariel Pink and John Maus were not the only musicians at the big Trump rally in Washington, DC this week. Louder Sound reports that Jon Schaffer, founder and guitarist of Florida power metal band Iced Earth, was also present – and unlike the others, he was actually photographed participating in the violent crowd inside the Capitol building.
Schaffer is now wanted by the FBI for his role in the insurrection, with a page on the agency’s website seeking public help to identify and locate Schaffer and other people of interest. The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department is offering a reward of up to $ 1,000 for information that could lead to arrest.
Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch, who also plays with Schaffer in the band Demons & Wizards, spoke about the attack on Capitol. “We are deeply shocked and our thoughts are with the deceased’s relatives,” he wrote. “We expressly distance ourselves from any type of violence, regardless of whether it is applied against institutions or people.”
“The incidents will be thoroughly investigated and those responsible will be brought to justice,” continues the statement by the Blind Guardian. “We ask for your understanding that, in view of the hourly news situation, we will not make any further comments at this time.”
Schaffer is a well-known Trump supporter who already attended another rally in Washington, DC in November to protest the election results. “A group of bandits and criminals kidnapped this country a long time ago,” he told the German newspaper Die Welt at the time. “Now they are taking a big step, and that is not going to happen. And that is what it is. “