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Who is Robert Keith Packer? Capitol rioter wearing ‘Camp Auschwitz’ hoodie arrested in Virginia

Along with Robert Keith Packer, over 70 people who participated in the Capitol riots have been charged with crimes

A man who was pictured wearing a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ hoodie during last week’s riots at the Capitol building has been arrested in Newport News, Virginia. Robert Keith Packer was taken into custody in connection to the deadly protests on Wednesday, January 13, two law enforcement officials said as reported by The New York Times. Packer was photographed several times during the Capitol riots while he was sporting his controversial black sweatshirt, with its reference to the Nazi death camp and that had a skull imprinted over it.

Reports stated that Packer’s identification was done based on accounts of people who knew him. The ‘Camp Auschwitz’ hoodie also had “Work Brings Freedom” written over it, which loosely translates to “Arbeit macht frei” in German. Those were the same words that were welded onto an iron arch that loomed over one of the gates of the death camp, where over 1.1 million people died during World War II.

A reporter from 13NewsNow published the arrest warrant for Packer, showing he was charged for knowingly entering a restricted building and for violent entry and disorderly conduct. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Along with Packer, over 70 people who participated in the Capitol riots have reportedly been charged with various crimes. The top federal prosecutor in Washington said that he expected that “hundreds” more would be charged in connection to the mayhem. It has been said that prosecutors were thinking of pressing rioters with different charges, including seditious conspiracy, murder, and trespassing. The acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Sherwin, said that at least 170 people believed to be involved in the riots have already been identified by investigators.

This comes after people on the internet called out Packer for wearing the controversial piece of clothing. One Twitter user commented, “A rioter today wore a hoodie that says Camp Auschwitz on it. When Jewish people tell you they fear for their life, start believing them." The second one said, “Donald told the protestors he loved them, Ivanka called them American Patriots. One of these piglets is wearing a Camp Auschwitz hoodie, call them what they really are neo-nazi terrorist scum." “It really is crazy to me how hateful people can be. a Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt?!? and Ivanka Trump called them 'American patriots' so happy in a couple of days ur family will be nothing to this country,” the third user added.

Meanwhile, a report has stated that National Guard soldiers are on standby to shield Minnesota’s Capitol building from Donald Trump’s supporters after threats of violence across the US. According to the FBI, 'Boogaloo Bois' -- a loose collective of armed men who believes that a second US civil war is coming -- would probably cause unrest as they are scheduled to hold pro-Trump rallies in several cities on January 17. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said people of the state should expect "an appropriate presence of folks there to ensure that there's peaceful gatherings, to make sure that the intent to do damage to any of the buildings will not happen." “Some of those are a little more difficult to find because they move to kind of corners of the internet, but there's folks that are trained to make sure that they're looking for that,” Walz added.