Three active-duty Marines have been charged with participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Court papers say Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate, and Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested this week after fellow Marines identified them in footage of the mob.
The three men are among only a handful of active-duty military personnel to be charged in connection with the riot.
The Marines’ service records show that Coomer is stationed at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, Abate is at Fort Meade in Maryland, and Hellonen is stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
The men spent about 52 minutes inside the Capitol and were seen putting a red “Make American Great Again” hat on a statue to take pictures with it. Hellonen was also carrying a “Don’t Tread on Me” (Gadsden) flag.
Coomer posted photos on Instagram that appeared to be taken inside the Capitol with the caption “Glad to be a part of history,” and in late Jan 2021, he told another person in a message that “everything in this country is corrupt.”
A Marine Corps spokesman, Maj. Kevin Stephensen, said the military body is aware of the allegations and “is fully cooperating with appropriate authorities in support of the investigation.”
No defense lawyers for the men were listed in the court docket, so it was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys to comment on their behalf, per AP.
