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A man suspected of being connected with Antifa was arrested by federal law enforcement officials for allegedly helping to orchestrate the destruction of federal property in Washington, D.C.
Jason Charter, who was described by law enforcement as the “ringleader” in a recent attack on the Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Square, was arrested at his home on Thursday, Fox News reported.
Charter was charged with destruction of federal property for the incident near the White House last month when he was seen with a large group of rioters attempting to take down the statue because the seventh president of the United States was a slave owner and mistreated Native Americans.
“They were very organized,” a federal law enforcement official noted, according to Fox News.
“Charter was on top of the statue and directing people … they had acid, chisels, straps and a human chain preventing police from getting to the statue,” the official added.
(Source: Washington Post/YouTube)
The statue, its base and historic cannons were also damaged in the attacks on June 22, according to the National Park Service. Park Police using pepper spray eventually thwarted the attempts by the crowd that was estimated to be around 200 people.
Charter was identified in a BPR report as the one who got in the face of One America News journalist Jack Posobiec last week as leftists tried to tear down the Emancipation Memorial at Lincoln Park in Washington D.C. Wearing red ski goggles and a bike helmet along with signature Antifa all-black clothing, Charter accused Posobiec of being “literally a Nazi.”
Jack Posobiec keeps composure while DC Antifa mob swarms, attacks; Fox News journo helps rescue him https://t.co/gWC36AVQie pic.twitter.com/vI079PNGej
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) June 27, 2020
Charter will be making an appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington on Thursday, Fox News reported.
Four other men also face felony charges in the destruction of federal property and their role in the attack on Jackson’s statue. Video footage of them attempting to pull down the statue helped in their arrest according to the Justice Department.
Lee Michael Cantrell, 47, of Virginia; Connor Matthew Judd, 20, of Washington, D.C.; Ryan Lane, 37, of Maryland; and Graham Lloyd, 37, of Maine were charged and Judd was arrested last Friday.
The 20-year-old George Washington University student was one of the four named by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael R. Sherwin after he was identified from video footage.
Documents linked to his criminal complaint described Judd as “a white male wearing a maroon button-down shirt, gray pants with a backpack and a brown-colored face mask,” and yelling, “get off the statue” in video footage.
(Source: The Sun)
Lloyd, one of the other men charged, turned himself in Portland, Maine, making his first appearance in federal court on Wednesday.
President Trump signed an executive order after the rioting in Lafayette Square to protect monuments and statues in the nation which have been targeted by leftists in recent weeks. He also tweeted an FBI poster with images of 15 suspects connected to the vandalizing of Jackson’s statue.
MANY people in custody, with many others being sought for Vandalization of Federal Property in Lafayette Park. 10 year prison sentences! @FBIWFO pic.twitter.com/mrLyxbWNvq
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2020
The president has vowed swift and strong justice for vandals attempting to destroy federal property and erase America’s past.
“I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials and Statues- and combating recent Criminal Violence,” the president tweeted. “Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country.”
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Frieda@bizpacreview.com
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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