‘QAnon Shaman’ Jake Angeli tells FBI he joined Capitol riots with Viking horns, spear ‘at the request’ of Trump
Pro-Trump protester Jacob Anthony Chansley who goes by the name Jake Angeli has been charged related to crimes committed during the US Capitol riots. The 32-year-old from Arizona, who flaunted the Viking horns and body full of tattoos has now claimed that he joined the riots “at the request of the president.”
He was arrested on Saturday, January 9, and according to the Department of Justice, charged with "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”
He reportedly the FBI that he came to Washington DC "at the request of the President”, according to Newsweek. The same individual had previously called the FBI office to identify himself after his images from inside the Capitol building went viral. He is said to have "voluntarily" confirmed to officials that he was the "male in face paint and headdress in the Vice President's chair in the Senate."
He was among the rioters who broke into the building when the congressmen were certifying Biden’s presidential win. He said, he “came as part of a group effort, with other 'patriots' from Arizona, at the request of the President.”
He has been a known face at the Trump rallies and a purported QAnon conspiracy theorist, who also calls himself “QAnon Shaman”. He’s currently in custody for the charges slammed against him by the federal court.
A statement from the federal attorney for Washington DC said, “It is alleged that Chansley was identified as the man seen in media coverage who entered the Capitol building dressed in horns, a bearskin headdress, red, white and blue face paint, shirtless, and tan pants. This individual carried a spear, approximately 6 feet in length, with an American flag tied just below the blade."
Even though Angeli hasn’t commented on the charges related to the Capitol riots, he strongly believes his actions were right and even went on to dub them as “patriotic”. He told Sophie Long of BBC News, that it was "patriots doing what our founding fathers would have done because Antifa are cowards who have no commitment to their country or their cause".
He reportedly established that the protests were “peaceful” until they were allegedly infiltrated by Antifa activists. He even called the day from the attack on the Capitol “beautiful.”
Meanwhile, The United States Department of Justice has released the names of 13 individuals who have been charged in federal court in the District of Columbia following the riots at the U.S Capitol in Washington D.C. Over 40 have been charged at the Superior Court for offenses including, but not limited to, unlawful entry, curfew violations, and firearms-related crime.
It further states that many complaints have been submitted, with FBI; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Marshals Service; U.S. Capitol Police Department; and the Metropolitan Police Department carrying out the investigations jointly.
Click here for the list of the thirteen individuals charged for Capitol riots and the charges they are booked under.