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Louise Thomas
Editor
The notorious January 6 Capitol rioter known as the QAnon Shaman will soon get his iconic headdress and spear back following a federal judge’s ruling.
Jacob Chansley was one of thousands of people who stormed the US Capitol on January 6 2021, in a bid to stop the certification of the electoral college votes for President Joe Biden.
Chansley instantly became one of the most recognisable – and so easily arrested – rioters thanks to his infamous horned, coyote-tailed headdress and six-foot spear.
He was charged and later pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal proceeding.
In November, he was sentenced to a 41 months in prison but was released from federal prison for good behavior after serving only 27 months and sent to an Arizona halfway house. He has two years left of his court-supervised release.
On Monday, US District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that federal prosecutors must return his viking-inspired garb to him.
Prosecutors had argued it should remain in the government’s possession in case Chansley contests his conviction in the future.
But the judge disagreed, saying there is “voluminous video and photo evidence” of Chansley at the riots.
“Is not clear how Mr. Chansley could contest his conviction as he has been sentenced, abandoned his direct appeal, and seen his motion denied,” the judge wrote.
Since the riot, Chansley has undergone a major change – not just ditching the red, white and blue face paint, spear and bizarre headgear.
Chansley has disavowed QAnon and denounced former president Donald Trump after the former president rejected the rioter’s petition for a pardon.
Claiming he was “groomed” by MAGA propaganda, he called the FBI and unsuccessfully offered to testify before Congress during Trump’s second impeachment hearing.
In a statement in February, Chansley said he was “deeply disappointed in former president Trump” and apologized for his role in the riot.
“He was not honourable,” he said of Trump. “He let a lot of peaceful people down. I have to leave judging him up to other people.”
Court documents detailing Chansley’s plea agreement revealed that he was one of the first 30 people to enter the Capitol building.
According to the statement of facts, he and others entered through the Lower West Terrace after climbing stairs on scaffolding erected in preparation for Biden’s inauguration.
Upon reaching the second floor of the building, he used his bullhorn to “rile up the crowd and demand that lawmakers be brought out.”
In photographs now famous around the world, the bare-chested rioter shouted “Freedom!” to the crowd of rioters.
He also screamed obscenities in the Senate gallery, before sitting in the seat of then-vice president Mike Pence, calling him a “f*****g traitor,” and writing “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!” on a piece of paper.
Following his arrest, Chansley went on a nine-day hunger strike at the DC Department of Corrections facility in Washington in protest at the lack of organic food. He was then moved to Virginia’s Alexandria Detention Centre, where he was given organic food.
In a bizarre plot twist, Chansley in November last year indicated that he intended to run as a Libertarian in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District Election, but fumbled his chance to have his name appear as a candidate in the primaries earlier this week.
More than 600 people have so far been arrested for their roles in the January 6 Capitol riot.
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