(AFP) – A self-proclaimed “shaman” who was among the Donald Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol can have his horned fur headdress and spear returned to him, a judge ruled on Monday. Jacob Chansley, 36, known as the “QAnon Shaman,” became one of the faces of the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol because of his red, white and blue facepaint, bare chest and unusual headgear.
Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, was among the first of hundreds of rioters to break into the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as lawmakers were certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election. He pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding and was sentenced to 41 months in prison, although he received an early release in May of last year.
In a lawsuit filed in Washington, Chansley asked a judge for the return of his property seized by the authorities following his arrest. “Since the government has not established that it still needs these items as evidence and has not sought their forfeiture, the Court will grant Mr. Chansley’s motion,” District Judge Royce Lamberth said. The items to be returned include Chansley’s “horned coyote-tail headdress” and a six-foot pole with a metal spearhead fixed to the top.
Before the January 6 riot, Chansley, a promoter of QAnon conspiracy theories, had traveled the country appearing at rallies in support of Trump, who is running for reelection.
© 2024 AFP
