An Ohio man from East Liverpool, located in Columbiana County near the Ohio and Pennsylvania border, was arrested in Alabama Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas, 38, of East Liverpool, is charged with federal offenses that include assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and engaging in physical violence on Capitol grounds, among other charges.
Court documents allege Thomas was on the Upper West Terrace at 4:22 p.m. on Jan. 6 where he was captured on body-worn camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department.
Video shows Thomas advancing toward a line of law enforcement and pushing against their shields.
Thomas punched and struck the officers with his fist and forearm at least twice, court documents stated.
A couple of minutes later as officers began to dispel the rioters, Thomas turned toward rioters and ordered them to “hold the line” against the officers.
Law enforcement officers confirmed the attack and said Thomas “was one of the first to come in and start hitting [and] pushing officers on the line.”
The first tipster leading to his arrest came from a neighbor who saw the photos released by the FBI. The neighbor confirmed Thomas posted pictures and videos of the Capitol breach on his Facebook and YouTube accounts.
The second tipster was a member of #SeditionHunters, a Twitter-based “global community of open-source intelligence investigators working together to assist the U.S. FBI and Washington D.C. Capitol Police in finding people who allegedly committed crimes in the January 6 capitol riots.”
The tipster confirmed Thomas’ identity along with his social media accounts and other popular sites with individuals who planned the breach.
Thomas made his first court appearance in the Northern District of Alabama on May 26.
In the first 120 days of Jan.6, approximately 440 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the breach of the Capitol.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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