A special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was arrested Tuesday on felony charges related to his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
Mark Ibrahim of Orange County, Calif., is accused of entering restricted grounds around the Capitol, possessing a firearm while there and lying to investigators, in what are believed to be the first charges filed against a federal law enforcement official involved in the pro-Trump attack.
Court records unsealed Tuesday contain photographs in which Ibrahim can be seen displaying his DEA badge and government-issued firearm, posing on a statue and walking along restricted grounds shortly after the barricades were breached. He has not been accused of entering the Capitol.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ibrahim is alleged to have sent photographs and videos of himself on the Capitol grounds to a WhatsApp group chat with at least five other law enforcement officers, according to court records.
A Justice Department official said in a court filing that Ibrahim crafted a phony narrative in which he falsely claimed that his participation in the Jan. 6 event was part of an effort to assist the FBI. A friend who accompanied Ibrahim that day told the official that Ibrahim concocted the story to “cover his ass.”
Darren Richie, an attorney for Ibrahim, said his client “at all times remained peaceful and docile” and “played no role in any riot.”
“He never committed any violence, attempted to enter any buildings nor induced or promoted others to do so,” Richie said in a statement to The Hill.
News of Ibrahim’s alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection first came to light in March when the DEA placed him on leave.
Prosecutors have charged more than 500 people in connection to the pro-Trump attack, which temporarily delayed Congress’s certification of President BidenJoe BidenKentucky lawmaker faces scrutiny for comparing Fauci to Jonestown cult leader Omar leads lawmakers in calling for US envoy to combat Islamophobia Public charter schools group blasts proposed Democratic cut MORE’s electoral win.
Click Here: brisbane broncos jersey