WASHINGTON — A Maryland man was arrested yesterday on charges stemming from the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Narayana Rheiner, 40, of Baltimore, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with civil disorder and related offenses. He was arrested in Baltimore and is to make his initial appearance today in the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, Rheiner was among rioters at the front of a police line on Jan. 6. He waved others to come forward towards the line as he and others said to “push up.” He made contact with officers with his arm and then grabbed an officer’s riot shield and attempted to pull it away. Rheiner later went inside the Capitol, telling officers to “stand down and go home.”
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Rheiner as #384 in its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 13 months since Jan. 6, more than 750 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 235 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
An indictment or complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.