Proud Boys leader Nicholas Ochs who shared picture of himself smoking in the Capitol is arrested in Hawaii - but claims he took part in MAGA raid as a 'professional journalist'
- Proud Boys leaders, Nicholas Ochs, was arrested in Honolulu, Hawaii, last week
- Shortly after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday, Ochs shared an image of himself smoking with another man
- On Friday, the Justice Department unsealed a criminal complaint against Ochs, charging him with unlawful entry into restricted buildings or grounds
- Government will seek his removal to the District of Columbia to face this charge
- Ochs is one of several dozen individuals who have been charged with unlawful entry on the Capitol grounds
Proud Boys leader Nicholas Ochs, who shared an image of himself smoking while inside the Capitol last week, has been arrested in Hawaii but claimed that he took part in the MAGA raid as a 'professional journalist'.
Shortly after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday, Ochs shared the photo of himself smoking with another man.
'Hello from the Capital[sic] lol,' the caption reads.
Ochs was arrested Thursday evening after he landed at Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
Proud Boys leader Nicholas Ochs (right), who shared an image of himself smoking while inside the Capitol last week, has been arrested in Hawaii
Ochs was arrested Thursday evening after he landed at Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Ochs (circled) is seen inside the Capitol on Wednesday
On Friday, the Justice Department unsealed a criminal complaint against Ochs, charging him with unlawful entry into restricted buildings or grounds.
His initial appearance will be in federal court in Honolulu. A lawyer for Ochs could not be identified.
According to court filings, the government will seek his removal to the District of Columbia to face this charge.
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During an interview with CNN, Ochs, who is the leader of the Proud Boys' Hawaii faction, admitted he was inside the Capitol, but claimed he was there as a 'professional journalist'.
'We didn’t have to break in, I just walked in and filmed,' he claimed.
'There were thousands of people in there — they had no control of the situation. I didn’t get stopped or questioned.'
Ochs is one of several dozen individuals who have been charged with unlawful entry on the Capitol grounds
The top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia has said 'all options are on the table' for charging the rioters, many of whom were egged on by Trump’s speech hours earlier at a rally over his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden
Ochs is one of several dozen individuals who have been charged with unlawful entry on the Capitol grounds.
The top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia has said 'all options are on the table' for charging the rioters, many of whom were egged on by Trump’s speech hours earlier at a rally over his election loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
Investigators are combing through photos, videos and tips from the public to track down members of the violent mob. The FBI has released photos of people inside the Capitol, urging the public to help identify them.
Prosecutors say these charges are just the beginning. Authorities said Friday that said additional cases remained under seal and dozens of other people were being sought by federal agents.
US attorneys in several states, including Kentucky, Ohio and Oregon, said people could face charges in their home states if they traveled to Washington and took part in the riot.
It takes time to build a case. Capitol Police arrested just more than a dozen people the day of the breach while DC police arrested around 70.
Many people freely left the Capitol, which means investigators now have to work to identify them and track them down.
Those who’ve been charged so far could also lead investigators to others who joined in the violent siege on Capitol Hill.
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