Prosecutor says retired Air Force officer intended to ‘assassinate officials’ during Capitol attack
Larry Rendall Brock Jr was arrested after a picture emerged of him on the Senate floor carrying the plastic zip-tie handcuffs
As investigators continue to piece together what really took place during last Wednesday’s Capitol attack, prosecutors reveal that zip ties found on one rioter substantiate their fears that he planned to take hostages during the siege resulting in bodily harm to officials.
According to reports, prosecutors believe members of the violent mob planned to “assassinate elected officials,” specifically retired Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr, who carried plastic zip-tie handcuffs intending to use them “to take hostages.’
Read More: 275 criminal cases opened in Capitol riots investigation: prosecutors
Thursday, the former Air Force officer was arrested after a picture emerged of him on the Senate floor wearing a helmet and heavy camouflage vest while carrying the plastic handcuffs.
“He means to take hostages. He means to kidnap, restrain, perhaps try, perhaps execute members of the U.S. government,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Weimer said of the 53-year-old Dallas resident during his hearing.
The father-of-three was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. He has since been released to home confinement.
‘A traumatizing event’
As we previously reported, late Tuesday evening, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez conducted an hour-long Instagram live that attracted nearly 100,000 people and used that time to field questions from her constituents and supporters on the app.
Not surprisingly, she received several questions about her experience on January 6th and only a few minutes into the video makes the stunning admission about fearing for her life.
“I had a pretty traumatizing event happen to me, and I don’t even know if I can disclose the full details of that event due to security concerns, but I can tell you I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die. You have all of those thoughts where, at the end of your life, these thoughts come rushing to you,” she explained. “That’s what happened to a lot of us on Wednesday. I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive. And not just in a general sense, but in a very specific sense.”
READ MORE: Chuck Norris denies attending Capitol riots after photo of ‘look-alike’ goes viral
AOC also explained that she didn’t feel safe when instructed to shelter with other members. She admitted to her followers that “there were QAnon and white-supremacist sympathizers and, frankly, white-supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point who I know and who I have felt would disclose my location and would create opportunities to allow me to be hurt, kidnapped, et cetera.”
Substantiating her fears is the fact that NJ Rep. Mikie Sherrill recently revealed that several Republican members gave “reconnaissance” tours to would-be rioters on the eve of the siege. And adding insult to injury, three other Democrats have been infected with COVID-19 after being forced to shelter with Republicans who refused to wear masks.
“So I didn’t even feel safe around other members of Congress,” AOC concluded bleakly.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
The post Prosecutor says retired Air Force officer intended to ‘assassinate officials’ during Capitol attack appeared first on TheGrio.
