The FBI and the Park Police worked together to identify and arrest the alleged ringleader of the attack on the Andrew Jackson statue that the protesters attempted to tear down on June 22.
The historic monument of the 7th U.S. President, who became a target of BLM protesters due to his support of slavery, is located at the Lafayette Park in front of the White House.
According to the reports, Jason Charter, who has also been accused of vandalizing a monument of Albert Pike, a Confederate leader, was responsible for leading the group of protesters that tried to topple the statue of Jackson.
“They were very organized. Charter was on top of the statue and directing people … they had acid, chisels, straps and a human chain preventing police from getting to the statue,” a federal official said.
As the authorities found out, Charter is also responsible for managing a Twitter account on which he recently wrote: “Tearing down statues of traitors to the nation is a service to this nation not a crime.”
Previously, on June 19, Charter was also spotted in Washington where he was, according to the FBI, seen “standing over the toppled Pike Statue, pouring an unknown liquid onto the statue.”
As per the reports, the man warned other protesters to move away from the statue moments before it burst into flames.
According to Fox News, sources from federal authorities confirmed that Charter has connections to Antifa.
Following the latest incident, Charter was arrested by the FBI and Park Police at his home and has been charged with the destruction of federal property. He is facing up to ten years in prison.
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Replaced!