Tuesday, 23 Apr 2024

Social Media Posts Lead to Arrest of N.Y. Man for Role in Capitol Riot

A 25-year-old New York man from the Hudson Valley was arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents at his home on Saturday after he posted photos and videos on social media placing him outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 during the rampage by violent extremists.

In the caption of one video, the man, Edward Jacob Lang, wrote: “I was the leader of Liberty today. Arrest me. You are on the wrong side of history.”

Federal prosecutors charged him with assaulting an officer and three other charges, including civil disorder.

His arrest comes as federal officials ramp up their search for those involved in the riot, which left five people dead. Over 70 arrests have been made across the country in relation to the riots, and at least 170 cases have been opened.

Many of those who participated in the rampage have easily been identified through their social media posts.

In New York, several people — including an employee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as well as a son of a judge in Brooklyn — have been arrested after being seen inside or around the Capitol during the riot.

“Decisions have consequences,’’ William Sweeney Jr., the assistant director in charge of the bureau’s New York field office, said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Edward Lang is in custody for the ones he made during the assault on our Capitol.”

It was unclear on Sunday whether Mr. Lang, who lives in Newburgh, N.Y., a small city roughly 70 miles north of New York City, had retained a lawyer. He is expected to appear virtually in federal court on Tuesday, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

Most of Mr. Lang’s social media accounts had been disabled by Sunday morning. But The Sullivan Times reported that he had posted several videos of himself on social media, including one where he could be heard saying “I ain’t done yet” as blood was wiped from his forehead.

He also said on Facebook that he had listened to President Trump’s roughly 70-minute speech outside the White House in which he helped incite the rampage.

Mr. Lang falsely claimed that Mr. Trump won the national election in a landslide.

A New York Times investigation identified a separate video of Mr. Lang, in which he described witnessing a woman who appeared to have been trampled and killed in a crush of fellow rioters. On social media, he blamed the police for the stampede.

Mr. Lang’s arrest came one day after federal prosecutors announced several charges against a former Marine, Dominic Pezzola, from Rochester, N.Y., who is seen on video footage using a police shield to smash a window and breach the Capitol.

Family members of Mr. Lang could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday.

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