US Capitol breach: Two more held on charges of assault, civil disorder

Two more persons have been arrested for crime related to 6 January US Capitol riot, United States Department of Justice (DOJ) informed on 27 August, on Friday. The arrested men are said to be natives of Maryland and Florida. The men were charged with "assault, civil disorder, and disorderly conduct," the Justice Department said in a statement.

"A Maryland man was arrested yesterday and the Florida man was arrested today for crimes related to breach of the US Capitol on 6 January," the US Justice Department

Uliyahu Hayah from Maryland was arrested for "assault and civil disorder." As reported by ANI, Hayah had pushed an officer into a crowd of people. On the other hand, a Florida resident Robert Fairchild Jr. was detained for assaulting an officer and "disorderly conduct," the DOJ statement added. The accused men participated in the US Capitol breach that "disrupted a joint session of the US Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential elections."

Hayah heckled the on-duty police officer shortly after another US Capitol cop shot dead unarmed protestor, Ashli Babbitt. On the other hand, Fairchild manhandled the security gate and attempted to push through the barriers with a mob. Both the men were presented before the court on Friday afternoon, ANI reported.

A total of 588 people present at the US Capitol on 6 January have been booked for "unlawful authority" in the Capitol building, "disruptive conduct, parade, and demonstrations" in federal property. Additionally, few protestors like Benjamen Scott Burlew from Oklahoma were charged with "assault in maritime and territorial jurisdiction and an act of physical violence on restricted grounds."

The US Capitol breach

On 6 January, 2021, over 500 sympathisers of Republican President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol in Washington DC. They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 Presidential elections by disrupting the joint session of the Congress assembled to determine the electoral votes. The said vote count officially formalised incumbent President Joe Biden's win. The rioters infringed the federal complex and vandalised the building for several hours. Since the attack, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a probe into the matter. As many as 588 people have been booked and 570 have been arrested so far.

(With inputs from AP and ANI)

(Image: AP)