Insurrection fueled by conspiracy groups, extremists and fringe movements
The insurrection at the heart of America’s democracy, egged on by Trump’s rhetoric, represented a stunning show of force for the fringe movements and their adherents.
One of the most recognizable figures in the videos and photos of the chaos on Capitol Hill was a man in his 30s with a painted face, fur hat and a helmet with horns.
The protester, Jake Angeli — known by followers as the QAnon Shaman — quickly became a symbol of the bizarre and frightening spectacle as photos circulated of him roaming the Capitol halls holding an American flag affixed to a spear in one hand and a bullhorn in the other, and even standing shirtless atop the Senate dais.
Angeli, who lives in Arizona, couldn’t be reached for comment, but his cousin, Adam Angeli, confirmed that the man in the horns was his relative in a brief call with CNN Wednesday. Adam Angeli said he thought his cousin might be between jobs and that “he’s a patriot, he’s a very big United States of America type of a person.”
Jake Angeli’s Facebook page is filled with posts evoking the conspiracy theories of QAnon, whose adherents believe in a ludicrous theory that there is a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who have infiltrated the highest reaches of American government and are being opposed by President Trump.
Some of Angeli’s Facebook posts have a violent edge, such as a meme declaring “we shall have no real hope to survive the enemies arranged against us until we hang the traitors lurking among us.” One photo on Angeli’s Facebook page depicts him adorned in the fur and horns, taking aim towards the camera with a rifle.
Other rioters photographed at the Capitol wore clothing with QAnon icons and held signs with slogans associated with the bizarre movement.
CNN has highlighted Nick Ochs in a crowd of protesters storming the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress on January 6.
“We didn’t have to break in, I just walked in and filmed,” Ochs told CNN in an interview Wednesday night. “There were thousands of people in there — they had no control of the situation. I didn’t get stopped or questioned.”
Gionet, a prominent extremist voice who goes by the pseudonym “Baked Alaska” online, attended the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, said Hannah Gais, a senior researcher with the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center. Gais said she monitored the livestream as it was airing.
Gionet has been suspended or barred from various online platforms. He could not be reached for comment.
Richard “Bigo” Barnett sits inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on January 6.
Facebook videos that appear to have been posted by Barnett on Wednesday show him walking near the Capitol. A photo posted that morning, where he is carrying an American flag, was captioned, “it’s time,” and he previously asked for prayers “as we do our best to protect our patriots in DC.”
Barnett could not be reached for comment.
CNN’s Blake Ellis, Melanie Hicken, Curt Devine, Scott Glover and Yahya Abou-Ghazala contributed to this report.
