Ohio Trump Supporter Arrested in Alabama for Beating D.C. Police in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot –

Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, 38, of East Liverpool, Ohio, shown beating D.C. police: FBI

Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to issue indictments and make arrests in the 1-6-2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection, advancing some of the Trump supporting rioters to the FBI Most Wanted list, where the American public can help identify and find the suspects with the help of photos and videos.

An Ohio man caught on video beating up D.C. Metro police officers was arrested in Huntsville, Alabama this week and made his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday in the Northern District of Alabama.

Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, 38, of East Liverpool, Ohio, was charged for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of Congress in the process of counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election, according to a recent Justice Department press release.

Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, 38, of East Liverpool, Ohio, arrested in Alabama: FBI

Thomas is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and engaging in physical violence on Capitol grounds.

According to court documents, Thomas was on the Upper West Terrace at 4:22 p.m. where he was captured on Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) body-worn camera (BWC) footage advancing toward a line of law enforcement and pushing against their shields.

As depicted in the footage, Thomas punched and struck the officers with his fist and forearm at least twice. At 4:26 p.m., officers began to dispel the crowd of rioters from the steps. Thomas turned toward rioters and ordered them to “hold the line” against advancing officers, repeating this several times.

In subsequent interviews, law enforcement officers confirmed the attack and stated the individual “was one of the first to come in and start hitting [and] pushing officers on the line.”

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, who identified Thomas as #214 on their seeking information photos, as well as the MPD, with significant assistance provided by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office.

In the first 120 days after Jan. 6, approximately 440 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Capitol breach, including over 125 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Four More Members of Oath Keepers Charged With Conspiracy to Obstruct Election

Oath Keepers: FBI

Four more members of the far right, anti-government group the Oath Keepers were also charged this week for their role in the the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, and three were arrested in Florida, bringing the number of co-defendants charged in the largest conspiracy case from that day to 16.

Joseph Hackett, 51, of Sarasota, Fla., Jason Dolan, 44, of Wellington, Fla., and William Isaacs, 21, of Kissimmee, Fla., each face multiple counts in an indictment handed up Wednesday and unsealed Sunday in Washington, according to breaking news from The Washington Post, and appeared Thursday before U.S. magistrates in Tampa, West Palm Beach and Orlando.

The name of a fourth defendant not known to be in custody was redacted.

U.S. prosecutors have criminally charged at least 19 alleged Oath Keepers or associates in the Capitol riots, including Jon Ryan Schaffer, an Indiana rock musician who is the only defendant known to have pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors say the Oath Keepers, a loose network of groups founded in 2009 that includes some self-styled citizen militias, target law enforcement and military members for recruitment with an apocalyptic vision of the U.S. government careening toward totalitarianism. Its members have provided security to some conservative politicians and causes in recent years.

The Washington Post also reported early on that the Department of Justice might not continue to pursue all those involved in the Trump “Stop the Steal” rally, march and Capitol breach, reporting that turned out to be inaccurate.