A QAnon acolyte owned by the AR-15, caught with armor-piercing bullets, drove from Wisconsin to Washington, DC on March 3 and told U.S. Capitol Police agents he was “ going to do something crazy tomorrow ” – the day that The conspiracy theory’s followers falsely believed that former President Donald Trump would resume the presidency, according to a criminal complaint unlocked by federal court on March 19.
Ian Alan Olson, who made the 800-mile journey in a 2016 Subaru emblazoned with QAnon slogans, told a soldier on duty outside the Capitol that he was “ going to test the National Guard tomorrow to see if they were loyal to the people or to the president, “that he was” ready to die to fulfill this mission, “and that his” actions would unite eight billion people, “the complaint says.
If he were shot by the National Guard, Olson claimed, he would know that the Guard was loyal to President Joe Biden. If the National Guard didn’t shoot him, Olson claimed he would know the Guard was loyal to the bourgeoisie. He explained that he would “be taken over by the Spirit of Christ and lead the people to unity,” the complaint states, and that “things can only be resolved by the barrel of a gun.”
Central to QAnon’s conspiracy theory is the false belief that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles and child traffickers (reportedly made up largely of prominent Democratic politicians, so-called ‘Deep State’ government officials, journalists and Hollywood elites) and that President Trump is secretly working with Q and others to take down the cabal, ”said an affidavit attached to the complaint and signed by FBI Special Agent Justin Mosiman of the Milwaukee Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. Many QAnon supporters (known as ‘Anons’) refer to themselves as ‘digital soldiers’ and believe they are engaged in an epic battle between good and evil and darkness and light. Following the November 3, 2020 elections, many prominent QAnon supporters called on the ‘Anons’ to ‘trust the plan’, believing that President-elect Biden’s victory was an illusion and part of a complicated plan by [an anonymous government official named] Q and others to expose the cabal’s crimes to the world, giving President Trump a second term in office. “
Dozens of people accused of participating in the January 6 uprising at the Capitol were open supporters of QAnon. The alleged insurgent known as the “QAnon Shaman,” for example, left a threatening note to Vice President Mike Pence in the Senate Chamber. Another QAnon supporter wearing a “Q” t-shirt was seen physically threatening a police officer and hoping to be seen on video so that the QAnon movement would be duly credited with participating in the siege.
In Olson’s case, Capitol Police determined that he was a danger to himself and others and admitted him to a DC psychiatric hospital. There, Olson was diagnosed with a “brief psychotic disorder” and fired on March 5, the complaint said.
Ten days later, Olson reportedly drove to an Army reserve base in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, in his car, which had Q-related phrases such as “ Trust my plan ” and “ WWG1WGA, ” a QAnon motto that stands for “ Where we go one, we all go ”, sprayed on the doors, hood, roof, rear window and bumpers.
Olson drove into the base, got out of the vehicle and shouted, “This is for America,” and fired an AR-15 style paintball gun at two uniformed reservists about 15 yards away, the applicant states. After allegedly firing “two to three” bullets at the soldiers, Olson’s paintball gun apparently jammed. It was then that the reservists – one of whom is described as a civilian law enforcement officer – arrested Olson and held him for the police.
A search of Olson’s car revealed a gas mask, threw knives, a police scanner, walkie-talkies, a taser and military-style ballistic vest plates, the complaint continues. Officers also found a three-page handwritten manifesto that contained numerous mentions of Q and “my plan,” according to a motion of detention filed by prosecutors.
Olson was admitted to Waukesha County Jail on three felony charges: terrorist threat; attempt at battery; and disorderly behavior. During the processing, Olson voluntarily indicated that he had recently returned from Washington, DC, where he had not sent the “message” he hoped to convey. According to the complaint, he then said he intended to cause “mass casualties” when he got out, and muttered softly, “People will remember my name.”
After refusing to speak to a mental health professional, Olson was released from custody on March 16. His wife agreed to a search of their home, where police found a – very real – AR-15 rifle with a telescope, suppressor and seven magazines. loaded with armor-piercing ammunition. Olson’s family told police that several small arms “are still in circulation” and that they would hand them over to the police.
On March 19, the FBI arrested Olson on two federal charges related to the Army Reserve base incident: attack on US military on duty; and attacking, opposing or obstructing certain officers or employees – both crimes.
He does not yet have an attorney in court records and could not be reached for comment.