A former editor of a top orthodox Jewish newspaper has been arrested in connection with the Jan 6 insurrection.
An affidavit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Elliot Resnick, 39, was chief editor of The Jewish Press when he joined the crowd of Donald Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on 6 January 2021, reported the Associated Press.
He was arrested on Thursday on charges including civil disorder and assault of or interference with law enforcement for allegedly interfering with police officers who were trying to protect the Capitol building.
Before the riot, Resnick posted social media messages echoing the former president’s claim that the 2020 presidential elections won by Joe Biden were stolen from him.
In April 2021, Politico reported that video showed Resnick inside the Capitol on the day of the riots.
The report added that Resnick later wrote an article defending the Capitol riot without acknowledging his presence in the building that day.
In a statement to the outlet, The Jewish Press editorial board confirmed Resnick was in the Capitol on 6 January and had been “covering the rally and the rest of the day’s terrible events” for the newspaper.
However, an FBI agent’s account of Resnick’s actions portray him as an active participant in the riot.
Video showed Resnick repeatedly gesturing for others to come up stairs toward the Capitol after rioters broke through a line of police officers, said the FBI affidavit.
Resnick had been a reporter and editor at The Jewish Press since 2006. He left the newspaper in May 2021, before the FBI said it began investigating him.
The newspaper has not yet issued a comment on Resnick’s arrest.
At least 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol Hill riots, including more than 320 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.
Additional reporting by agencies
