Federal prosecutors offered a grim assessment in a filing on Thursday that rioters at the Capitol intended to “capture and assassinate elected officials.”
That view was offered in a filing to detain Jacob Chansley, the horned “QAnon Shaman” in Arizona who stood at the desk of Mike Pence in the U.S. Senate chamber.
The detention memo, written by Justice Department lawyers in Arizona, goes into greater detail about the FBI’s investigation into Chansley, revealing that he left a note for Pence warning that “it’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”
“Strong evidence, including Chansley’s own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States government,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors said the charges in Chansley’s case “involve active participation in an insurrection attempting to violently overthrow the United States government,” and warned that “the insurrection is still in progress,” adding that Chansley is a flight risk.
Prosecutors also suggested Chansley suffers from drug abuse and mental illness.
“Chansley has spoken openly about his belief that he is an alien, a higher being, and he is here on Earth to ascend to another reality,” they wrote.
Acting U.S. Attorney for D.C. Michael Sherwin said that many initial charges seemed minor, but he expects more serious charges to be filed as investigations continue.
Others with serious charges being filed against them include retired firefighter Robert Sanford, who allegedly hurled a fire extinguisher at the head of a police officer, and Peter Stager, who allegedly beat another officer with an American flag.
See Reuters.
