Two men reportedly seen in viral photos of the deadly assault on the Capitol have been arrested, the attorney general in Washington, DC announced Sunday. Larry Rendell Brock and Eric Gavelek Munchel were both reportedly seen in photos of the riot occupying the chambers of Congress wearing tactical gear and holding plastic zippers.
Munchel was arrested in Tennessee on Sunday, the Justice Department said. He was charged with knowingly entering or staying in a restricted building or property without legal authority and one time of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. A law enforcement source told CBS News that “a shipment of guns” has been found in Munchel’s home and they are assessing whether they were legally owned.
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The Justice Department claims Munchel is the man seen “with plastic fasteners, an item in a holster on his right hip and a cell phone on his chest with the camera facing out, supposedly to record events that day.”
Brock was arrested in Texas on Sunday and charged with the same crimes as Munchel, the Justice Department said. The department claimed that Brock is the man featured in multiple photos of the riots wearing a green helmet, tactical vest, and black and camouflage jacket, while also wearing plastic zippers.
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Brock was identified as a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel by John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School. Scott-Railton told CBS News that he used a combination of facial recognition software and a group of experts to identify the patches on his clothing. Brock’s identity was first reported in The New Yorker.
After Scott-Railton was confident in his identification, he told CBS News, “I decided it was time to contact the FBI and refer the information to them.”
“I did not immediately go to the fair, but cooperated [journalist] Ronan Farrow and his team of fact-checkers at the New Yorker, ”he said. I think the American public needed to know, but wanted to be sure. ‘
Brock admitted it was him in the photos and told the New Yorker he found the zippers on the floor.
According to an affidavit, Brock’s ex-wife called the FBI on Jan. 8 after recognizing photos of him.
“I just know when I saw this happening, I was afraid he would be there,” she said. “I think you already know he was there. It’s such a good picture of him and I recognize his patch. ‘
Brock is the second member of the Air Force to be involved in the Capitol Hill riot. Ashli Babitt, the woman shot and killed by Capitol Police during Wednesday’s siege was a US Air Force veteran.
The arrests come a day after two other men allegedly seen in viral photos of the riots were taken into custody and charged. On Saturday, Jake Angeli, also known as the “QAnon Shaman”, was reportedly seen in multiple photos and videos of the riot without a shirt and with horns and a fur cap on his head. Angeli was arrested in Arizona and is facing the same charges as Brock and Munchel.
Adam Johnson, a 36-year-old Florida resident, was also arrested Saturday after he was identified as the man in the photo holding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and waving at the camera.
At least 19 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the attack on the Capitol. Authorities continue to look for other stakeholders.
Catherine Herridge, Grace Segers, Clare Hymes, Jessica Opatich, Audrey McNamara and Victoria Albert contributed to this report.