Federal prosecutors in Arizona are asking a judge to detain the Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman” before trial, saying his words and actions during the Jan. 6 siege show that the intent of the rioters was to “capture and assassinate” lawmakers.
Jacob Chansley, 33, of Arizona was indicted Jan. 11 by a federal grand jury on two felony charges of interfering with law enforcement during the commission of civil disorder and obstructing a Congressional proceeding, threatening Congressional officials and disorderly conduct. Chansley, who is also known as Jake Angeli, was also indicted on four misdemeanor counts.
Prosecutors say Chansley, a well-known fixture at Arizona pro-Trump rallies, is a “self-proclaimed leader” in the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. Images of a shirtless Chansley storming the Capitol wearing horns, a fur coyote tail headdress and face paint, carrying a bullhorn and a spear, quickly went viral on social media. He is being held in a federal detention facility in Arizona.
In a detention memorandum filed Thursday, U.S. prosecutors in Arizona argue Chansley would pose an “ongoing danger to the community” and a flight risk were he to be released. While inside the Capitol, prosecutors argue, Chansley approached U.S. Capitol police officer Keith Robishaw and screamed that “this was their house, that they were there to get Senators, and that they were there to take the Capitol, to get Congressional leaders,” the memorandum reads. “Chansley also used his bullhorn to communicate that they were there to take out several United States congressmen,” the filing says.
Source:CBS News