A prominent supporter of the QAnon group, Jacob Chansley, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his involvement in the US Capitol riot.
Chansley was among the Trump supporters who tried to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election on 6 January. He earlier pleaded guilty to one felony count of obstruction in an official proceeding, BBC reports.
His sentence is among the longest so far given in connection to the riots.
In addition to his prison sentence, Chansley was sentenced to 36 months of supervised release and must pay $100 (£74) in restitution.
The 34-year-old became one of the most recognisable figures from the siege after being pictured wearing horns and a bearskin headdress, with a US flag painted on his face. He referred to himself as “the QAnon Shaman”.
Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory believe that former President Donald Trump was waging a secret war against a cabal of Satan-worshipping paedophiles in government, business and the media.
Following his arrest, Chansley told the FBI that he came to DC in January “at the request of the president” that all “patriots” come to the city.
In court on Wednesday, Chansley said he wants to “evolve” and was “wrong for entering the Capitol”. “I have no excuse,” he said.
He also said has been asking himself “what would Jesus do?” and likened himself to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, saying: “What if we all judge Gandhi based on that he beat his wife before his spiritual awakening?”
He has been in custody for nearly 11 months since being arrested just days after the riot.
Photographs and videos taken during the riot show Chansley carrying a spear in the Capitol. Prosecutors also say he led other protesters in prayer at the dais – a raised platform – and left a note threatening former Vice-President Mike Pence.
“It’s only a matter of time,” the note read. “Justice is coming!”
Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 51 months in prison, arguing that, “His consistent rhetoric before and after the event, and his apparent ability to carry out his intentions of violently removing the ‘traitors’ in our government, is clear from the evidence in this case,” prosecutors said.
Chansley now claims to have disavowed Mr Trump and QAnon.
Another participant, former mixed martial artist Scott Fairlam, was also sentenced to 41 months in prison earlier in November for assaulting a police officer and obstructing an official proceeding.
Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes announce their breakup after more than 2-years
Celebrity couple, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes have announced that they’ve broken up but will “continue to be best friends.” The pair on Wednesday, November 17, shared a matching statement, signed “Camila and Shawn,” on their respective Instagram Stories.
“Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” the statement reads. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward.”
The pair who met in 2014 when Mendes and Cabello’s then-group Fifth Harmony both opened for Austin Mahone on tour, started dating in July 2019. In November 2015, they released “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” which hit the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their next duet, 2019’s “Señorita,” would go all the way to No. 1 on the Hot 100. It won an American Music Award for collaboration of the year and received a Grammy nomination for best pop duo/group performance.