The FBI arrested Republican Ryan Kelley, a candidate for Michigan governor, on Thursday for misdemeanour charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
An FBI agent’s sworn statement said Kelley, 40, was captured on video standing in a crowd of people who were “assaulting and pushing past law enforcement officers” at the Capitol.
Kelley is one of five people seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a November election. He serves as an appointed planning commissioner in Allendale, Michigan.
In a recent opinion poll cited by local media in Michigan, Kelley emerged as the leading Republican candidate, though the race remains fluid with 49 percent of Republican voters still undecided.
His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The primary vote to select a Republican nominee is scheduled for Aug. 2.
A criminal complaint charges Kelley with knowingly entering restricted grounds without lawful authority, disorderly conduct, knowingly engaging in acts of physical violence against property on restricted grounds and wilfully injuring U.S. property.
The arrest coincided with Thursday’s first of a series of televised hearings of the Democratic-led House of Representatives Select Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol.
Other images show Kelley climbing an architectural feature near the northwest stairs of the building, the FBI statement said. He then can be seen in video footage waving his hand to encourage the crowd to move toward the stairs.
