Authorities arrested a Jan. 6, 2021, rioter near former United States President Obama's Washington, DC, home and found that he had guns and 400 rounds of ammunition.
On Friday, a federal prosecutor said in court that the man, identified as 37-year-old Taylor Taranto, who was first noted by online sleuths in August 2021, also had a machete inside his van, which he appeared to be living in, where officials discovered the firearms.
Jan. 6 Rioter Arrested Near Barack Obama's Residence
The suspect's van was parked near the DC jail in the last few weeks, and he was seen at various protests that supported other Jan. 6 defendants, as shown by social media footage. A federal prosecutor also said that Taranto had "nowhere to go," referencing how he lived inside his van.
Authorities have charged the Jan. 6 rioter with four misdemeanor counts concerning the Capitol Hill incident. The prosecutor in charge of the case said that the suspect has been in Washington to take Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy up on his offer that would have allowed Jan. 6 defendants to review security footage of the unprecedented siege, as per NBC News.
The defendant had also posted recordings of phone calls he made trying to access the footage on his social media. Taranto acknowledged that he entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6 in social media posts. He questioned why authorities did not arrest him for what he did.
Authorities said that the Jan. 6 rioter showed up at Obama's residence on Thursday after former United States President Donald Trump posted screenshots on his Truth Social platform that showed an alleged address for his predecessor's Washington home.
In a Telegram post shared yesterday, Taranto said they "got these losers surrounded!" and "See you in hell, Podesta's and Obama's!" Authorities will hold the Jan. 6 rioter in custody until a detention hearing scheduled on Wednesday. Federal Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey expressed concern about Taranto's mental stability on Friday.
Taranto's Telegram account was found to have hosted extremist ideas and various conspiracy theories. According to People, the suspect's alleged last post on the platform was from the morning of his arrest, where he showed a link to a website that touted conspiracy theories about Obama's home.
Conspiracy Theories About Obama
Some reports noted the suspect drew the attention of law enforcement before his arrest after he allegedly made threats during his recent live streams on social media. The Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement, saying that Taranto has been charged with "Fugitive from Justice, under an arrest warrant."
Law enforcement sources said that authorities were concerned about Taranto coming to the area, adding that he had a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) order for his arrest. On top of the firearms and ammunition, officials discovered enough material to make one Molotov cocktail inside the suspect's van.
Taranto did not directly threaten Obama, mention the former president by name, or suggest that he had weapons during his comments on his live streams. Capitol Police also assisted in the investigation "due to a concern for public safety" and the possibility of violence against members of Congress said ABC News.
