A man arrested near former president Barack Obama's Washington home on charges in the US Capitol riot had two guns, 400 rounds of ammunition and a machete in his van, prosecutors say.
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Taylor Taranto, 37, was arrested on Thursday after being spotted a few blocks from the former president's home and chased by US Secret Service agents.
Court documents unsealed on Friday show Taranto is charged with four misdemeanours related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
The Justice Department, during a hearing in Washington's federal court on Friday, detailed the weapons found in the van which the man appeared to be living in, NBC News reported.
Taranto was ordered to remain behind bars pending a detention hearing scheduled for next Wednesday.
An email seeking comment was sent to Taranto's lawyer.
It was not clear whether the Obamas were at their home at the time of his arrest. The explosives team swept Taranto's van and said there were no threats to the public. No one was injured.
Taranto was a US Navy veteran and a webmaster for the Republican Party in Franklin County, in the state of Washington, according to the Tri-City Herald newspaper.
During the January 6 riot Taranto entered the Capitol building and was near another rioter, Ashli Babbitt, when a police officer shot and killed her as she climbed through a glass window leading to the House chambers, the FBI said in a court filing.
Before he left the building, Taranto and other rioters scuffled with police officers, the filing says.
More than 1000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Over 600 of them have pleaded guilty, while approximately 100 others have been convicted after trials decided by judges or juries.
More than 550 riot defendants have been sentenced, with over half receiving terms of imprisonment ranging from six days to 18 years.
Australian Associated Press
