Jon Schaffer, guitarist and founding member of metal band Iced Earth, surrounded to the FBI on Sunday to face charges related to his participation in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The 52-year-old was photographed in the riot wearing a cap from Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group.
Schaffer is being held on six charges, including “violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building” and “disrupting the orderly conduct of government business.” According to the FBI, the rocker was allegedly part of a group of rioters who used bear spray on police officers.
In a 2018 interview, Schaffer admitted: “I'm about as close to an anarchist as you can be. I’m not a fan of government, I'm not a fan of the left — they're just as ridiculous as the extreme right.”
Schaffer is known to have attended a rally in November to protest the results of the election Trump lost. “They will go down,” he told Germany’s Die Welt at the time. “They’re messing with the wrong people, believe me.”
Last summer, Schaffer publicly downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic as “a psychological warfare campaign on the people.”
Days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Schaffer’s Iced Earth bandmates posted a message on Instagram. “We absolutely DO NOT condone nor do we support riots or the acts of violence that the rioters were involved in on January 6th at the US Capitol building. We hope that all those involved that day are brought to justice to be investigated and answer for their actions,” it read.
“With broken hearts we are sending our love and compassion to everyone who has felt pain from the events on January 6th. We are deeply saddened and our hearts go out to the families of the lives lost that day. There are really no proper words to console. Just know we are with you in your shock, grief and pain. Much love to you all.”