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A Marine who said helium was waiting for “Civil warfare 2” and 2 different active-duty members of the subject person been charged with participating successful the riot astatine the U.S. Capitol, authorities said successful recently filed tribunal papers.
Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate and Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested this week connected misdemeanor charges aft their chap Marines helped investigators place them successful footage among the pro-Trump mob connected Jan. 6, 2021, according to tribunal papers.
Dozens of radical charged successful the riot person subject backgrounds, but these 3 are among lone a fistful connected progressive duty. A Marine Corps serviceman seen connected camera scuffling with constabulary and helping different members of the mob unit their mode into the Capitol was charged successful 2021.
No defence lawyers for the men were listed successful the tribunal docket, truthful it was not instantly wide whether they person attorneys to remark connected their behalf.
Their work records amusement they are each active-duty Marines. Maj. Kevin Stephensen, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps, said it is alert of the allegations and “is afloat cooperating with due authorities successful enactment of the investigation.”
Coomer, of Indiana, is stationed successful Southern California’s Camp Pendleton; Abate, of Virginia, is astatine Fort Meade successful Maryland; and Hellonen, of Michigan, is stationed astatine North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune, according to the Marines.
The men spent astir 52 minutes wrong the Capitol, authorities say. At 1 constituent portion successful the rotunda, they enactment a reddish “Make American Great Again” chapeau connected a statue to instrumentality pictures with it, according to tribunal papers. Hellonen was carrying a “Don’t Tread connected Me” flag, authorities said.
Coomer posted photos connected Instagram that appeared to beryllium taken wrong the Capitol with the caption “Glad to beryllium isolated of history,” according to tribunal documents. Days aft the 2020 election, helium and different idiosyncratic discussed implicit Instagram connection however helium believed the predetermination was rigged.
And successful precocious January 2021, helium told different idiosyncratic successful a connection that “everything successful this state is corrupt.”
“We honestly request a caller restart. I’m waiting for the boogaloo,” Coomer wrote successful a connection elaborate successful tribunal documents. When asked by the idiosyncratic what’s “a boogaloo,” Coomer responded “Civil warfare 2,” authorities said.
The boogaloo is an anti-government, pro-gun extremist movement. Its sanction is simply a notation to a slang word for a sequel — successful this case, a 2nd U.S. civilian war. The question is named aft “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo,” a 1984 sequel to a movie astir breakdancing.
Supporters person shown up astatine protests implicit COVID-19 lockdown orders and protests implicit radical injustice, carrying rifles and wearing tactical cogwheel implicit Hawaiian shirts. The shirts are a notation to “big luau,” a riff connected the word “boogaloo” sometimes favored by radical members.
During an interrogation related to his information clearance successful June, Abate acknowledged walking done the Capitol with 2 “buddies,” investigators said. Abate said they “walked astir and tried not to get deed with teardrop gas.”
The Pentagon said Abate was assigned to the Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion, which supports the National Security Agency. One of the largest U.S. quality agencies, the NSA spies connected physics communications astir the satellite and has a captious relation successful deterring cyberattacks and overseas power operations.
A spokesperson for the NSA declined to reply questions astir erstwhile the bureau learned of Abate’s connection that helium had entered the Capitol oregon if it took enactment anterior to his apprehension to restrict his entree to classified information.
The trio look charges including amerciable introduction and disorderly conduct.
Among Jan. 6 defendants with subject backgrounds are members of the far-right extremist radical the Oath Keepers, accused of plotting to violently support President Donald Trump successful power. The group’s leader, Stewart Rhodes, a erstwhile Army paratrooper, was convicted of seditious conspiracy successful November.
A Navy reservist from Virginia accused of storming the Capitol was convicted this week connected charges that helium illegally possessed silencers disguised to look similar innocuous cleaning supplies. Hatchet Speed is scheduled to spell connected proceedings successful his Jan. 6 lawsuit aboriginal this year.
And a erstwhile U.S. Army reservist described by prosecutors arsenic a Nazi sympathizer was convicted of storming the Capitol to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who was employed arsenic a information contractor astatine a Navy base, was sentenced to 4 years successful situation successful September.
Nearly 1,000 radical person been charged truthful acold successful the riot and the tally increases by the week. Almost 500 radical person pleaded blameworthy to riot-related charges and much than 3 twelve person been convicted astatine trial.
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Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporters Tara Copp, Michael Kunzelman and Nomaan Merchant contributed to this study from Washington.
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Follow AP’s sum of the Capitol riot at: https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege
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