Student, retired firefighter charged in U.S. Capitol riots

[January 19, 2021]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal authorities arrested a retired firefighter and a fashion student, both from New York, and a man from Iowa on Monday in the storming of the U.S. Capitol, according to the FBI and court documents.

Nicolas Moncada, a 20-year-old student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, was arrested at his home in Staten Island early on Monday, the FBI said. The school shared information with the FBI about a social media post showing him at the Capitol, according to local media reports.

Thomas Sweeney of Freeport, New York, was charged on Monday but was not yet in custody, an FBI spokeswoman said. Sweeney, 53, retired from the New York Fire Department in October, local media reported.

Thousands of people stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to try to keep Congress from certifying the Democrat Biden's victory over Republican President Donald Trump.

Federal authorities have brought criminal charges against more than 100 people in their investigation into the ransacking of Capitol offices and attacks on police. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol Police officer.

Leo Kelly was arrested in Iowa on Monday after a video interview posted online described him as "one of the first men to break the Capitol building and go inside with dozens of others," according to a court document.

Protesters storm the U.S. Capitol during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 6, 2021. Picture taken January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Gaber

Kelly, of Cedar Rapids, faces unlawful entry and disorderly conduct charges, according to court documents.

Among the 10 people arrested over the weekend was Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, New Jersey, a member of the U.S. Army Reserves who works as a Navy contractor with a "secret" security clearance and access to weapons, court documents said.

An informant told investigators that Hale-Cusanelli was "an avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer" who posts online videos espousing extreme political opinions.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Howard Goller)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.