(WASHINGTON) — While much attention is being trained on the possibility that former President Donald Trump could face charges for his actions leading up to Jan. 6, the Department of Justice on Tuesday unsealed documents revealing a new arrest was made Tuesday in connection to the Capitol riot.
A Kentucky man was arrested Tuesday on charges that he joined the pro-Trump mob during one of the most violent stand-offs with law enforcement at the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
Barry Saturday is alleged to have been present around rioters who engaged in assaults against officers protecting the Capitol and allegedly celebrated after seeing one rioter steal a police shield, court documents allege.
Investigators tracked Saturday’s movements throughout the clash with police, including his push towards the police line while rioters were shouting, “Heave-ho!” to try and break through and enter the building, according to the affidavit.
He was later forced out of the tunnel after being hit with pepper spray but then was seen “deliberately following” two lone officers who had been pulled into the crowd before re-joining the mob at the tunnel entrance, court documents show.
FBI officials say they used a facial comparison tool to match up Saturday’s pictures with his Twitter account and a photo of him on the Lexington Herald Leader news website. They then found that Saturday had actually been interviewed by the FBI three times before in 2018 and 2019 when he was reporting that he was a victim of some kind of cyber intrusion, according to officials. The FBI never found any such evidence on Saturday’s devices, but agents who interviewed him during those appearances confirmed that he was the individual depicted in photos from the riot, the affidavit said.
They further confirmed his identity through his public social media photos and driver’s license photograph, as well as information obtained via search warrant from his cell phone, according to charging documents.
As of time of publishing, Saturday does not yet have a lawyer listed as representing him on his court docket.
Saturday now joins the ranks of the more than 1,080 individuals who have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to ABC News’ latest tally of public court records. More than 600 of those charged have pleaded guilty to a variety of offenses, while more than 100 have been found guilty at trials.
Over 560 people have been sentenced, with punishments ranging from probation and home confinement to the most severe sentence of 18 years in prison for Stewart Rhodes — the founder of the Oath Keepers who was convicted of seditious conspiracy.
DOJ is still seeking the public’s help in identifying at least 320 more people suspected of committing violent acts on Capitol grounds, according to the Justice Department.
Trump is a target of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the events surrounding Jan. 6 and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He has denied wrongdoing and repeatedly claimed political persecution.
ABC News’ Olivia Rubin and John Santucci contributed to this report.
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