Zip tie rioter stashed weapons outside the Capitol and had arsenal at home
Eric Gavelek Munchel was charged with conspiracy after being arrested on 10 January
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Your support makes all the difference.A man arrested last week after being pictured carrying zip ties around the Congressional chamber, reportedly stashed weapons outside before breaching the US Capitol.
Eric Gavelek Munchel, 30, was arrested alongside his mother Lisa Eisenhart, 57, on 10 January and charged with conspiracy after he was seen wearing a tactical vest and carrying zip ties in the Capitol, alongside a mob of pro-Trump rioters on 6 January.
In a court filing submitted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday, the agency said that Mr Munchel was “dressed for combat” on the day of the riots, which were incited by then President Donald Trump at a speech nearby.
“When Munchel entered the Capitol, he was dressed for combat: he wore combat boots, military fatigues, a tactical vest, gloves, and a gaiter that covered all of his face except for his eyes,” the department said on Wednesday.
The DOJ also claimed that Mr Munchel attached an iPhone to the front of his tactical vest to record the events of the day and brought a taser into the Capitol.
However, the filing claims that Mr Munchel and his mother stashed weapons outside of the Capitol before they breached it during the riots.
In a video that Mr Munchel filmed on the day that has been obtained by the DOJ, the 30-year-old was told by Ms Eisenhart: “We're going straight to federal prison if we go in there with weapons.”
Mr Munchel responded that he needed to take his “weapons off before I go in there,” before they allegedly stashed them close to the Capitol building in a tactical bag.
The DOJ filing alleges that shortly after, Mr Munchel said that he was ready to commit “treason” and announced that he was “f*****g ready to f**k s**t up,” before he entered the Capitol.
On 9 January, prior to Mr Munchel’s arrest, the government obtained a federal search warrant for his home in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Newsweek.
Inside a cupboard in Mr Munchel’s bedroom, authorities found a .22 caliber revolver alongside dozens of rounds of ammunition for it.
They also discovered 15 firearms in a gun safe, including shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, a sniper rifle, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Mr Munchel and his mother have been charged with charged with illegally entering the Capitol and federal conspiracy. His next court date is set for 22 February.
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