The man photographed casually sitting with his foot on a desk in US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office at the Capitol while a pro-Trump mob rampaged through the halls of Congress was arrested on Friday, law enforcement officials said.
NBC News reported that the man identified as Richard Barnett, 60, of Gravette, Arkansas, was taken into custody in his home state on federal charges of entering and remaining on restricted grounds as well as violent entry and theft of public property, according to a Department of Justice official.
A spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas told NBC News that Barret was arrested and is being held in the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Images of the rioter, apparently Barnett, flooded across all social media platforms following the riot that broke out on Wednesday as lawmakers from both Democratic Party and Republican Party convened to count the electoral college votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the November election.
In connection with the rioting at the Capitol was a state lawmaker from West Virginia, Republican Del. Derrick Evans, who had recorded and then deleted a video of himself joining the rioters.
NBC news reported that a New York Times reporter tweeted that he spoke with Barnett after his stunt in Pelosi's office. In a video, he boasts that he took a personalized envelope, but insisted he didn't steal it. "I left a quarter on her desk," he said.
Barnett also claimed that he knocked politely on the door of the Speaker's office but was swept inside by other rioters who stormed the Capitol and said that he left her a note.
"I'll probably be telling them this is what happened all the way to the D.C. jail," he added.
However, it is not clear if Barnett had an attorney.
The mayor of Gravette said the photos have brought threats and other unwelcome attention to his small, rural community near the Missouri border.
"Aides to Pelosi have said her office was vandalized on Wednesday and confirmed that a laptop from a conference room had been stolen. The equipment, however, was used only for presentations, an aide said," NBC News reported.
The news outlet further reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is requesting the public's help in identifying other Trump supporters who unlawfully invaded the Capitol for about four hours, with investigators poring over surveillance footage and social media posts.
But the vast majority of the hundreds of people who stormed the building were allowed to leave without getting arrested, making the task of tracking them down exceedingly difficult.
Chaotic and violent scenes erupted at the Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of Trump stormed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police. At least five people died in the melee.Wednesday's violence came hours after Trump encouraged his supporters to fight against the election results as Congress was certifying Biden's victory in the November vote.
( With inputs from ANI )
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