ONE OF the men who stormed the US Capitol yesterday evening has been identified as a prominent Q-Anon conspiracy supporter.
As hundreds rushed the Capitol building after gaining entry by breaking windows, images of the rioters began circulating on social media, with one man appearing in multiple photographs.
The shirtless, heavily tattooed man with a painted face and who carried an American flag and donned a horned fur hat has been identified as 32-year-old Jake Angeli, a Q-Anon 'shaman' who has been seen counter-protesting Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the past.
According to local outlet Arizona Central, Angeli is a native of Phoenix, AZ, and is a regular fixture at right-wing demonstrations, often holding signs claiming 'Q sent me'.
Jake Algin holds a QAnon sign, as he presents himself as a shamanist and consultant for the Trump supporters gathered in front of the Maricopa County Election Department where ballots are counted after the US presidential election in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 5, 2020. (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)Q-Anon is a conspiracy which has gained a foothold in American politics in recent months, with supporters believing a wide range of baseless claims including that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against elite paedophile Satan-worshippers in Government and the media, including former Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.
Angeli, who was pictured standing on the dais of the US senate holding a spear on which hung the American flag, previously told outlet The Arizona Republic that he dresses in his unique attire as a way to gain attention from people, who he can then speak to about the conspiracy.
The QAnon 'shaman' yells inside the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during mass demonstrations in the nation's capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)Disinformation about the mob of Trump supporters has already been spreading on social media, with thousands retweeting a claim that Angeli is an Antifa infiltrator who was present at the riot to make Trump supporters look bad.
These claims stem from a photograph of Angeli at a Black Lives Matter protest in the summer of 2020-- however the image being circulated is cropped, and does not show Angeli holding his 'Q Sent Me' sign; he was present at the march as a counter-protester.
...we saw him agitating outside the Maricopa County ballot count in Arizona two months ago.
He is Jake Angeli, aka the "Q Shaman" pic.twitter.com/UGN08eOErl— Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) January 7, 2021
Reports from multiple outlets state that the 32-year-old once worked as an actor and musician but now spends his time as a Q-Anon 'influencer' known as the 'shaman' or 'Yellowstone Wolf'.
