A pro-President Trump heavy metal guitarist has been identified as one of the US Capitol rioters, according to a report.
Multiple sources told the Indianapolis Star Wednesday that one of the suspects in the deadly Jan. 6 siege is Jon Schaffer, a founding member of a Florida-based heavy metal band called Iced Earth who is originally from central Indiana.
Schaffer has not been charged with a federal crime as of early Friday, an FBI source confirmed to The Post.
But several people have identified him as the man seen with his mouth agape in an FBI poster seeking out the rioters who “made unlawful entry” into the Capitol during an attack that left five people dead, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.
An FBI spokeswoman in Indianapolis declined to comment directly on Schaffer, whose face is seen in photograph 25, the newspaper reported.
“Like FBI field offices across the country, FBI Indianapolis is receiving tips regarding Hoosiers who may have been at the Capitol building in Washington, DC Jan. 6,” FBI spokeswoman Chris Bavender said in a statement. “Any subjects that are arrested/indicted will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC.”
Schaffer, who was born in Franklin, left Indiana as a teenager and later launched Iced Earth in Tampa, where the band is based. Attempts to reach him Wednesday were unsuccessful, the Indianapolis Star reported.
In the photo, the man believed to be Schaffer is reportedly wearing a hat showing his allegiance to the Oath Keepers — an anti-government extremist group founded in 2009 that claims tens of thousands of former law enforcement officials and military vets as members, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Schaffer has also previously attended Trump rallies and once appeared as a guest on the radio show of far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Schaffer’s four bandmates, meanwhile, have put out a statement denouncing the riots.
“We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions,” the statement read. “With broken hearts we are sending our love and compassion to everyone who has felt pain from the events on January 6th.”
A bio on the band’s website for Schaffer notes that his hobbies include studying history and current events, as well as “standing against” and “exposing” tyranny.
“Stand for something … or die for nothing,” the webpage reads.
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January 16, 2021 at 12:53AM
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Pro-Trump heavy metal guitarist reportedly identified as Capitol rioter - New York Post
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