Yesterday (Jan. 6), pro-Trump supporters organized at the at the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. and forcefully entered the building after breaching multiple lines of police security. Among the rioters was Jon Schaffer, founder of Iced Earth, who has now been shown as a "person of interest in unrest-related offenses" in a photo shared by the MPDC (Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia).

Once images from the Capitol riot emerged online, metal fans quickly identified the man seen above in the "Oath Keepers Lifetime Member" hat, fingerless black glove and blue hoodie as the Iced Earth mainstay. Some Twitter users tagged the FBI and MPDC in their posts in an effort to help authorities identify one of the hundreds of mob members.

A newly released PowerPoint presentation, shared online by MPDC, depicts multiple photos of rioters inside the nation's Capitol, where politicians were gathered to certify the votes cast by the Electoral College, which has now confirmed Joe Biden as president-elect following the chaos. Members of the U.S. Congress were issued an emergency evacuation alert and were forced to shelter in place as Trump supporters roamed the halls of the building.

Among those photos present is the aforementioned shot of Schaffer, which can be seen below alongside details of his crime, which is listed as "unlawful entry" at approximately 1:30 PM ET.

Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for information the leads to the arrest and indictment of those responsible for the crimes committed on Jan. 6. The full disclaimer reads as follows:

Anyone who can identify these individuals or who has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at (202) 727-9099 or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411. The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in the District of Columbia.

In November of last year, Schaffer attended a pro-Trump rally in Washington D.C. following the general election. He was interviewed by a German newspaper (that mistakenly named his 'Jon Schaper') and said, "They will go down. They're messing with the wrong people, believe me." When pressed if riots would potentially ensue, he offered, "If someone uses violence against us, we will react accordingly. We don't want that, but we are ready."

The Iced Earth guitarist also affirmed his position on the coronavirus pandemic as a guest on the MetalSucks Podcast, firing off conspiracy theories that dismissed the reality of the situation.

Coincidentally, yesterday (Jan. 6) marked the seventh anniversary of Iced Earth's Plagues of Babylon album, which embraces themes of the global elite unleashing a plague upon the world as a means of enslaving humanity. These sentiments are similar to the conspiracy theories expressed regarding the current pandemic on the aforementioned podcast.

Original Article