Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer was arrested on Sunday (Jan. 17) after turning himself into authorities following his appearance on the FBI s Most Wanted list for his participation in the riot at the Capitol Building. A photo of Schaffer, taken inside the Capitol, captured him wearing an Oath Keepers Lifetime Member hat. CNN now reports Thomas Caldwell, a leader of the far-right antigovernment group, has been charged with planning and coordinating part of the Jan. 6 attack.
The Oath Keepers is an extremist, conspiracy-laden group heavily comprised of present and former law enforcement officials and military veterans, who claim to be defending the U.S. Constitution. Court documents indicate the Department of Justice charged 65-year-old Virginia based Caldwell, in part, with conspiracy.
WishTV reports the FBI confirmed Schaffer turned himself in at around 3PM ET. Jon Schaffer, Columbus, IN, has been arrested in connection to Jan 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol, reads an official statement from the FBI. 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.
Photos from inside the Capitol at the time of the riot emerged online from news media photographers and journalists who were also inside, covering the now historic attack.
One widely circulated photo, seen above, showed Schaffer as one of the many participants and fans quickly recognized him as the Iced Earth founder, promptly tagging authorities on Twitter while revealing his identity to them.