The man standing next to Ashli Babbitt as she was shot and killed has been arrested on charges of storming the Capitol building
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The man who stood next to Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was killed by police while storming the US Capitol building, was arrested Tuesday night.
Thomas Baranyi, 28, had participated in the insurrection himself, according to a sworn statement from a member of the FBI included in court filings obtained by the George Washington University Program on Extremism. He was arrested in New Jersey on charges of trespassing into the Capitol building and interrupting the work of Congress.
Read more: 'It was degrading': Black Capitol custodial staff talk about what it felt like to clean up the mess left by violent pro-Trump white supremacistsBaranyi was seen next to her in videos and photos of the incident. He gave an interview with a
Baranyi was released on an unsecured bond after making a court appearance via video, according to the Associated Press.
The insurrection at the Capitol building followed a rally several miles away in Washington, DC, where President Donald Trump falsely said the 2020 presidential election was marred by widespread voter fraud and that he was the true victor. He told his supporters to "fight" for him as Congress confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's election victory in the Capitol building. Baranyi said he personally participated in the storming of the Capitol building to stop Congress from counting the electoral college votes for Biden."We tore through the scaffolding, through flash bangs and tear gas, and blitzed our way in through all the chambers just trying to get into Congress or whoever we could get in to and tell them that we need some kind of investigation into this," he said, according to the FBI affidavit.
The charges against Baranyi are among the Justice Department's 160-plus investigations into participants of the Capitol siege.
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