New Criminal Charges have been Filed Against A Capitol Riot Defendant- He is Accused of Planning to Murder Law Enforcement Officers

According to a criminal complaint released on Friday, a guy who was already under investigation for his involvement in the January 6 riots has been slammed with additional accusations after being accused of planning to assassinate the law enforcement personnel who investigated his case.

The complaint states that on or about December 3, 2018, Edward Kelley, 33, of Tennessee, got a list of law enforcement officers and began discussing plans to assassinate these officials with Austin Carter, 26, and a witness who finally reported their activities to the police.

Kelley, among the first persons to enter Capitol grounds on January 6, was one of the first to be charged with assault, refusing or hindering officers, civil disorder, destruction of government property, and seven other crimes for his role in the Capitol riot.

Kelly handled the details of law enforcement officers to Austin Carter

On May 5, 2022, Kelley “handed Carter an envelope containing a document listing the names, titles, and phone numbers of approximately 37 law enforcement officials who investigated him and were present at arrest or home search,” according to a witness interviewed by the FBI, as stated in the complaint.

On December 3, the witness accompanied Kelley and Carter to a park in Maryville, Tennessee, where Kelley presented his plans to both men. The witness testified that Kelley told them, “with us being such a tiny group, we will mostly undertake recon missions and assassination missions,” with one of those missions being an assault on Federal investigators.

We will do more long-distance things,” Kelley remarked, which the witness took to mean assassinations, and the witness was asked if he owned any firearms. According to the witness, Kelley told them to “go out to your cop buddies and see what information you can collect on the persons on the list.”

An associate of Kelley and Carter turned over the letter to police on Tuesday, and investigators immediately began monitoring discussions between the two as they detailed their plans to kill people at the FBI Field Office in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“Once you guys have enough people… you don’t have time to practice or organize, but every hit needs to hurt, every hit has to hurt,” Kelley allegedly said over the phone to the witness and Carter, according to the lawsuit.

Kelley and Carter were arrested and appeared in federal court for the first time on Friday in Knoxville

Charges against Carter and Kelley include conspiracy, retaliation against a federal employee, interstate threat communication, and solicitation to conduct a violent crime. The Justice Department said in a statement that Kelley and Carter were arrested and appeared in federal court for the first time on Friday in Knoxville.

Although Insider reached out to Marina Medvin, Kelley’s attorney, for comment, she did not immediately answer. Medvin withdrew from Kelley’s case on Friday. On Thursday, three men were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 8 to 12 years for their roles in a scheme to abduct Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 because of her stance on COVID-19 health regulations.

Earlier this year, Nancy Pelosi’s husband was beaten with a hammer by a man who was allegedly looking for the House speaker. The number of death threats against members of Congress has risen in recent years. In June, a man who planned to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh over future rulings on abortion and gun rights was apprehended near his home.

source: businessinsider.in