WASHINGTON — The man arrested in connection with Thursday’s attack on the US Capitol attacked law enforcement officers with a Donald Trump flag, the FBI said in a statement.
The case, along with several other arrests this week, underscores the motivation of violent Trump supporters who have attacked officers and are still trying to stop a peaceful transfer of power. they spread conspiracy theories unjustifiably blames left-wing activists and federal agents.
Lance Ligocki, nicknamed the “Full Flag Suit” by online scouts because of the stars and stripes he wore that day, was arrested Thursday in Illinois, according to court records. faces misdemeanor charges of assaulting, resisting, or obstructing officers during a civil disturbance, as well as obstructing the administration of law, and other misdemeanor charges.
NBC News contacted the federal public defender who represented Ligocki during his initial appearance in federal court in Illinois.
According to an FBI statement, Ligocki “was observed approaching the Lower West Terrace entrance of the Capitol building and waving a “Trump” flag pole three times at law enforcement officers with a “Stop theft” sign.”
The FBI obtained a search warrant for Ligocki’s Facebook account and obtained numerous images and videos confirming his “attendance and participation in protests on and near the grounds of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as well as his distinct attire from that day.”
One of the images cited by the FBI Another shows Ligocki posing at the Peace Circle, where rioters first breached the restricted areas of the US Capitol, while another shows him posing in front of the inauguration platform.
In the messages, according to the FBI, Ligocki described January 6 as “awesome” and said they had “breached the capitol,” misspelling both “breach” and “Capitol.” He also called Trump a “lone wolf” and then-Vice President Mike Pence a “snake.”
“Everyone I see is ready to fight,” Ligocki wrote, according to the FBI. “No one wants to talk anymore. I see that some kind of civil war will come.”
Ligocki’s Facebook page at the time of his arrest Thursday has been demonstrated a picture of him wearing a comically oversized “Make America Great Again” hat, a Trump T-shirt, and standing in front of a truck with six large Trump flags, as well as a flag expressing his disagreement with President Joe Biden in vulgar language. . Another image from the FBI’s Facebook page shows Ligocki sitting in the passenger seat of a car holding a miniature Trump statue and wearing a hat with “TRUMP” written in black on the side of an American flag, the FBI said in a statement. hat Ligocki is seen wearing the same hat to the Capitol on Jan. 6.
A few hours after Ligotsky’s arrest, President Joe Biden He said during his address to the State of the Union That Trump and some of his supporters in Congress want to continue obfuscating what happened on January 6th.
“My predecessor and some of you are looking for it Bury the truth about January 6,” Biden said. “I’m not going to do it. This is a moment to tell the truth and bury the lies. Here is a simple truth: you cannot love your country only when you win.”
More than 1,300 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol attack, and more than half a dozen were arrested on Thursday alone.
Donald Moss and James Behymer An Indiana man was arrested on felony charges on Jan. 6 after allegedly assaulting officers near Lower West Terrace. A resident of Indiana Annie Vowhose son Anthony Waugh He was tried and convicted last year and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 10, jailed on a felony charge. Richard Staples He was arrested Jan. 6 in Alaska and authorities said he climbed in through a broken window. Ivan Todd, a Florida man was also charged and arrested on January 6. There were accusations unsealed On Jan. 6, defendants Jennifer Mitchell, John Flanagan, Sarah Flanagan, and Jason Griffin admitted to the FBI that they remembered being hit with pepper spray and tear gas, and that they heard law enforcement tell the crowd to disperse before they and others did. He broke the Capitol.
David KuntzAn Indiana militia member nicknamed “Reaper” was also arrested Thursday and charged with obstruction of justice, federal authorities said, as Kuntz was wearing a black tactical vest while yelling “f—.” – police!” as protesters stormed the Capitol. Court documents showed that Kuntz originally planned to make a “big stand” on Inauguration Day, telling supporters to be “fully armed” and “be prepared not to go home if something happens.” After Trump’s infamy “it will be wildKuntz, who invited people to Washington for the Electoral College count on December 19, 2020, turned his attention to January 6.
Earlier this week, on Wednesday, federal authorities in California arrested Kayla Reifschneider, a 27-year-old California woman who was accompanying him. Officer Michael Fanone was shot in the neck by a rioter with a stun gun on January 6. During his visit to Washington. Reifschneider was in the “PATRIOTS45 MAGA Gang” along with rioter Daniel “DJ” Rodriguez. Ed BadalianOn January 6, a protester said during the sentencing that he was “disappointed” that officers “did not join us in arresting the traitors” on January 6.
On January 6, several defendants pleaded guilty this week, including the so-called “rioters.”Grampy Shield” and “Conan O’Riot.” Curtis TateA rioter arrested in August admitted to assaulting officers with a metal baton on Jan. 6, and Marcus Martin admitted to assaulting an officer by pushing his body onto the officer and using his body weight to pin the officer to the ground near his head. .
Federal prosecutors indicted more than 950 defendants on Jan. 6, and nearly 500 defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from a few days to several days. 22 years in federal prison.