a utah-based left-wing activist is facing criminal charges for allegedly participating in the capitol hill riot last week. john sullivan, who is the founder of insurgence usa — a social justice group he started after the death of george floyd — was arrested and charged in federal court in washington, dc, according to a report by salt lake tribune. an affidavit in support of a criminal complaint and arrest warrant alleges sullivan “knowingly and willfully joined a crowd of individuals who forcibly entered the u.s. capitol and impeded, disrupted, and disturbed the orderly conduct of business” by the u.s. house and senate. while sullivan claims he attended last week’s “stop the steal” march as a journalist, the affidavit signed by fbi special agent matthew foulger says otherwise. the criminal complaint reads: at various times, sullivan has claimed to be a journalist. he has admitted, however, that he has no press credentials and the investigation has not revealed any connection between sullivan and any journalistic organizations. in the affidavit, foulger goes on to detail videos — that sullivan provided to the fbi — in which the left-wing activist can allegedly be heard encouraging protesters inside and around the capitol building. in one video, sullivan can be heard — as he approaches the capitol building with others — saying, “there are so many people. let’s go. this shit is ours! fuck yeah,” “we accomplished this shit. we did this together. fuck yeah! we are all a part of this history,” and “let’s burn this shit down.” the affidavit adds that while walking through the capitol, sullivan can also be heard saying, “it’s our house motherfuckers,” and “we are getting this shit.” “in at least two encounters, sullivan can be heard on the video arguing with the officers, telling them to stand down so that they do not get hurt,” reads the criminal complaint. “at one point in the video, sullivan enters an office within the u.s. capitol — once inside the office, sullivan approaches a window — and states, ‘we did this shit. we took this shit.'” the affidavit adds. the criminal complaint goes on to say that at one point, “a knocking noise is heard off-screen. the camera then pans to show more of the window and a broken pane can be seen that was not broken on sullivan’s approach to the window.” “sullivan can then be heard saying, ‘i broke it. my bad, my apologies. well they already broke a window, so, you know, i didn’t know i hit it that hard. no one got that on camera,'” the affidavit continues. “eventually, individuals in the crowd outside the doors announce that the officers are leaving and ‘giving us the building,'” the affidavit adds. “as the crowd begins to part so the officers can leave, sullivan can be heard saying, ‘haul that motherfucker out this bitch.'” at another point in the video, sullivan is walking down a hallway inside the capitol building with a large group of people, and can be heard saying, “why don’t we go in there” as he pans the camera to a closed door. then, after someone hits the door, sullivan can be heard saying, “that’s what i’m sayin’, break that shit.” the affidavit goes on to detail several other examples of sullivan’s conduct on capitol hill that day, adding the activist had also posted some of the videos to social media, under the pseudonym jaydenx. the criminal complaint also notes sullivan was charged with “rioting and criminal mischief” over the summer by local law enforcement authorities in provo, utah. the arrest was in connection with a june protest in which one person was shot and injured. the case is still pending. for his actions on january 6, the left-wing activist faces federal charges of civil disorder, entering a restricted building or grounds, and violent entry or disorderly conduct.
foreign ministry comments on us anti-russian sanctions over skripal case