Washington man who wanted to ‘witness history’ at Capitol riot arrested, feds say
Federal agents arrested a Washington man accused of participating in the riot at the Capitol in D.C., officials say.
Tips led investigators to several photos and video stills of Marc Bru flashing a hand symbol associated with the Proud Boys at the riot on Jan. 6, according to a U.S. District Court criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.
According to the complaint:
The investigation started after a tipster contacted the FBI National Threat Operations Center on Feb. 3, saying Bru, of Vancouver, had said shortly before Jan. 6 he was going to D.C. to “witness history in the making.”
The tipster asked if Bru was traveling to see the presidential inauguration and after denying that was the case, he responded, “you are about to see, it’s going to be big.”
The tipster told investigators that after the riot, an employee of theirs had searched for Bru on Facebook and found a video posted on what appeared to be Bru’s profile, showing him “at or near the Capitol building.”
That page has since been taken down or made private.
The tipster also gave investigators a phone number, and the Vancouver Police Department verified it is associated with Bru. That number was pinged inside the Capitol building during the riot.
Investigators compiled photos and video screenshots of Bru inside and outside the Capitol from social media and other sources. He was seen in photos wearing a neck gaiter, black zip-up hoodie and swim goggles around his neck, which helped investigators identify him.
A photo captured by Getty Images, a stock photo supplier, shows Bru flashing the “OK” hand symbol, which has been associated with the Proud Boys, a group of far-right extremists who openly engage in violence, often against counter protesters and at political rallies.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has denounced them as a “hate group,” and the Anti-Defamation League calls them an “extreme, right-wing gang.”
Established in 2016, the Proud Boys promote themselves as a “Western chauvinist” organization for men that is anti-political correctness and anti-white guilt, according to the SPLC.
One YouTube video showed Ethan Nordean, “a known member of the Proud Boys,” leading a group of men he addressed as “Proud Boys” in a march outside the Capitol building, the complaint reads. Bru is seen among that group at one point in the video.
Bru is also seen on video standing beside Nordean in a crowd outside the Capitol.
Nordean was arrested in connection with the riot in the Western District of Washington on Feb. 3, according to the Department of Justice.
In another video, Bru is seen grabbing a police barricade “in an apparent attempt to wrench it away from police.”
Two other Getty images showed Bru inside the Capitol building among a crowd of rioters, the complaint said.
FBI investigators also used security footage provided by U.S. Capitol Police to identify Bru inside the building at the time of the riot, the complaint said, and he can be seen in the footage “just prior to entering” and then exiting the Senate Gallery.
The FBI arrested Bru in Vancouver in connection with the riot on March 30. Charges outlined in the complaint include knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and obstruction of justice/Congress.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Washington man who wanted to ‘witness history’ at Capitol riot arrested, feds say."