“The FBI has identified one of the most wanted perpetrators of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a man who took on a leadership role after storming the building,” Huffington Post reported on Monday, November 29, 2021 (read story here).
Huffington Post noted that about a quarter “of the total number of people who engaged in chargeable criminal conduct that day” have been identified and arrested, which suggests there are roughly 2,800 Capitol rioters potentially facing judicial punishment.
The rioter in question (photo, right), dubbed “Swedish scarf”, is accused of assaulting police, leading rioters into the building through a window, forcing entry into an office by kicking a door, and joining other rioters in rifling the office. After the riot, he offered to help another rioter delete evidence from her computer, but she was arrested a few days later.
“Swedish scarf” has not been named in press accounts, but is said to be from the L.A. area, and “doesn’t have a Swedish accent.”
Hunting down the Capitol insurrectionists has become one of the biggest FBI operations in history, aided by the efforts of amateur online sleuths to identify wanted individuals.
Most of the approximately 650 caught so far have been charged with misdemeanors and let off with probation and fines. Rioters who assaulted police are more likely to be charged with felonies, and a few have been kept in jail since their arrests because judges consider them continuing threats. A handful may be years in prison.
These efforts are important to uphold the rule of law, enforce consequences for the assault on our system of government, and discourage such conduct in the future.
Trump has not expressly disavowed the rioters, but he pardoned none of them before leaving office, and hasn’t offered any of them legal or financial support. He’s left them on their own.