Student, retired firefighter charged in US Capitol riots

WASHINGTON: Federal authorities arrested a retired firefighter and a fashion student, both from New York, and a man from Iowa on Monday (Jan 18) in the storming of the US Capitol, according to the FBI and court documents.

Nicolas Moncada, a 20-year-old student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, was arrested at his home in Staten Island early on Monday, the FBI said. The school shared information with the FBI about a social media post showing him at the Capitol, according to local media reports.

Thomas Sweeney of Freeport, New York, was charged on Monday but was not yet in custody, an FBI spokeswoman said. Sweeney, 53, retired from the New York Fire Department in October, local media reported.

Thousands of people stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6 to try to keep Congress from certifying the Democrat Biden's victory over Republican President Donald Trump.

Federal authorities have brought criminal charges against more than 100 people in their investigation into the ransacking of Capitol offices and attacks on police. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol Police officer.

READ: FBI vetting Guard troops in Washington DC amid fears of insider attack

Leo Kelly was arrested in Iowa on Monday after a video interview posted online described him as "one of the first men to break the Capitol building and go inside with dozens of others," according to a court document.

Kelly, of Cedar Rapids, faces unlawful entry and disorderly conduct charges, according to court documents.

Among the 10 people arrested over the weekend was Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, New Jersey, a member of the US Army Reserves who works as a Navy contractor with a "secret" security clearance and access to weapons, court documents said.

An informant told investigators that Hale-Cusanelli was "an avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathiser" who posts online videos espousing extreme political opinions.