Iced Earth’s Jon Schaffer has been arrested for Capitol riots involvement

Iced Earth‘s Jon Schaffer is now in federal custody following his involvement in the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

According to the Indiana police, the metal guitarist surrendered to authorities after being placed on the FBI‘s wanted list.

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As soon as photos and videos emerged from the breach of the U.S. Capitol building, metal fans quickly identified Jon Schaffer in the crowd of Trump supporters. Shortly after, the guitarist was placed on an FBI wanted list for his involvement in the riots. According to CNN, the FBI has identified over 200 people involved in the events that led to five deaths.

Jon Schaffer – guitarist of Iced Earth pic.twitter.com/c4KitJW6u4

— AC (@recyclops_14) January 7, 2021

Last week, his Iced Earth bandmates spoke out on the situation. They released a joint statement denouncing the riots that transpired. As well, singer Stu Block attempted to clarify his stance on the Pro-Trump riots after a now-deleted post seemingly showed he was in support of the U.S. Capitol breach.

Now, Schaffer is officially in federal custody. On Sunday, the Indiana FBI confirmed that the guitarist has surrendered to authorities. Currently, Schaffer is facing six charges including “engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building.” According to the tweet, Schaffer was allegedly one of the rioters who sprayed police with bear spray.

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“Jon Schaffer, Columbus, IN, has been arrested in connection to Jan 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. Schaffer faces 6 charges including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building. Schaffer was allegedly among rioters who sprayed Capitol police with ‘bear spray.’”

Jon Schaffer, Columbus, IN, has been arrested in connection to Jan 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol. Schaffer faces 6 charges including engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building. Schaffer was allegedly among rioters who sprayed Capitol police with “bear spray.”

— FBI Indianapolis (@FBIIndianapolis) January 18, 2021

According to WishTV, some of the other charges Schaffer is facing include “disrupting the orderly conduct of government business” and “knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.”

The court filing goes on to say that Schaffer attended a MAGA rally back in November. While there, he expressed his beliefs that the presidential election was filled with fraud. This belief, which Donald Trump has continued to stand by, is what ultimately led to the breaching of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6.

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“My name’s Jon Schaffer, I’m from Indiana,” he said at the MAGA rally. “A group of thugs and criminals hijacked this country a long time ago. And now they’re making their big move, and it’s not gonna happen. . . People need to wake up and snap out of the Matrix, because they’re going down. They made the move, they’re messing with the wrong people here, trust me on that. And we needed it to be open like this. Open fraud. Open theft. Because now we see you, and you’re going down, mark my words.”

Last week, Iced Earth fans took to Schaffer’s recent Kickstarter campaign to express their thoughts on his involvement in the Jan. 6. events.  Not too long ago, the guitarist launched a Kickstarter campaign for Wicked Words & Epic Tales, “a collection of Jon Schaffer’s lyrics, interviews and a chronicle of the artwork that they inspired.” The campaign has earned 666 backers and raised over $100,000.

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However, many fans are now requesting refunds from the Kickstarter, sharing that they regret ever supporting Schaffer. Meanwhile, others are praising the guitarist’s recent actions and say that they cannot wait for his book to arrive.

Since the U.S. Capitol riots, there’s been a lot of fallout. Along with being permanently suspended from Twitter, Donald Trump is also facing an impeachment trial. After the House Of Representatives voted to impeach him, the case has moved to the Senate. Now, the Senate will be determined if Trump is guilty of inciting an insurrection stemming from the U.S. Capitol riots.

Additionally, on Jan. 13, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey opened up on Trump’s ban from the platform and why the decision is “dangerous.”

What are your reactions to Jon Schaffer being arrested? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: altpress.com