Some insurrectionists that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 planned to capture and murder political foes of President Donald Trump, said prosecutors in Arizona, but have no hard evidence of this plot at this time.
In a court filing, prosecutors said rioters intended "to capture and assassinate elected officials." These lawbreakers also came prepared to carry out their plan.
"Strong evidence, including Chansley's own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States government," wrote prosecutors in a filing asking a judge to detain Jacob Chansley from Arizona.
Chansley gained notoriety by stalking the Capitol shirtless and wearing horns as he stood at the desk of Vice President Mike Pence in the chamber of the U.S. Senate.
Chansley left a note for Pence warning, "it's only a matter of time, justice is coming."
Calling himself the "QAnon shaman," Chansley was kicked out of the U.S. Navy two years into his enlistment for refusing to take a required anthrax vaccine.
The federal charges against Chansley "involve active participation in an insurrection attempting to violently overthrow the United States government."
On Friday, Michael Sherwin, the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said there is as yet no "direct evidence" to suggest that rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol had formed "kill capture teams" at this time.
In the Arizona filing against Chansley, prosecutors warned "the insurrection is still in progress" as law enforcement agencies throughout the country prepare for more demonstrations in Washington D.C. and state capitals.
The seriousness of the threat posed by right-wing extremists and white supremacists has led the federal government to deploy 21,000 National Guard members during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20.
This unprecedented number for a presidential inauguration is four times the number of U.S. troops currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. Huge concrete and steel fences sealing off the White House from the rest of the city are also being erected as a protection against truck bombs or an armed assault by pro-Trump supporters.
Chansley is among the 70 rioters, and Trump supporters charged so far for their participation in the insurrection. U.S. prosecutors said they've identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges. Ultimately, they expect the number of arrests to run into the hundreds in the coming weeks as a massive nationwide manhunt for the pro-Trump rioters continues unabated.
"This is going to be a long-term investigation," said Sherwin. "Everyone is in it for the long haul."
Prosecutors can indict rioters on more serious charges, said Sherwin.
"These are only the beginning. This is not the end," said Sherwin about the criminal charges.
Sherwin said his office has brought 98 criminal prosecutions to date and has opened investigations into 275 people in connection with the violent pro-Trump insurrection of January 6, where five people died, and hundreds were injured.
