US federal agents: Capitol riot accused had ‘bomb-making manuals’ on thumb drive

A Rochester resident, the member of Proud Boys right-wing extremist group nicknamed 'Spaz', had access to weapons, bomb-manuals ahead of the Capitol siege, prosecutors said in a memo filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. Federal agents said in a statement, that the 43-year-old insurrectionist Dominic Pezzola is now facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 penalty after the FBI officers executed a search warrant at his home and unveiled a thumb drive with hundreds of PDF files, that ‘provided detailed instructions for making homemade firearms, poisons, and explosives,’ the court papers stated. On Jan.6, the upstate New York man, a Proud Boys member, stormed the government building, posing danger to the community and the Congress lawmakers’ safety, as he shattered a window with a Capitol police officer’s riot shield, paving way for those attempting at a coup to storm into the Capitol. 

According to the Columbia District's Court's ruling: ‘The defendant’s actions show planning, determination, and coordination. His stated desire to commit further acts of violence, combined with his access to weapons-and-bomb-making manuals, is extremely concerning.’ On Jan 15., the FBI, while searching his house in Rochester, found several documents titled “Advanced Improvised Explosives,” “Explosive Dust,” “Ragnar’s Big Book of Homemade Weapons” and “The Advanced Anarchist’s Arsenal: Recipes for Improvised Incendiaries and Explosives.” Federal agents cited court documents, wherein the prosecutor alleged that the accused was following the detailed instructions about ‘how to make explosives’. Pezzola was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property and voluntarily barging into restricted building or grounds under unlawful authority. 

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[Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. Credit: AP]

Intention to harm lawmakers

Authorities alleged in a local Rochesterfirst report, that the rioter had invaded with an intention to harm the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Mike Pence. The Proud Boys’ agent’s whereabouts were confirmed after the FBI contacted his family members, who agreed in a statement to the DC police that Pezzola was on the run. Not just that, he had conspired to change his appearance, and discard his cell phone before turning himself to the law enforcement. In footage on social media, Pezzola was seen smoking a cigar in the capitol building, shouting, “Victory smoke in the Capitol boys. This is [profanity] awesome. I knew we could take this [profanity] over if we just tried hard enough.” Pezzola was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a United Stated Capitol police officer, according to the FBI's statement. 

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