A suspected Capitol rioter Googled what countries let people buy citizenships, prosecutors say — suggesting he thought of fleeing the US before his arrest
- Christopher Joseph Quaglin was arrested Wednesday in connection to the Capitol riot.
- Affidavit says after the riot, he Googled which countries allow you to buy citizenship or residency.
- It suggests Quaglin may have considered fleeing the country to avoid prosecution.
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A man accused of assaulting multiple officers at the Capitol riot may have been thinking about fleeing the country to avoid prosecution, according to investigators who reviewed his online search history.
Christopher Joseph Quaglin was arrested Wednesday in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees; civil disorder; and obstruction of official proceeding in connection to the January 6 riot, according to the Department of Justice.
In court documents viewed by Insider, authorities said Quaglin helped lead the charge into the Capitol and assaulted numerous officers during the process, including attacking authorities with a stolen riot guard and spraying a “chemical irritant” at officers trying to stop the break-in.
Quaglin’s internet search history from two weeks after the riot also pointed to a worry over being arrested.
On January 20, he visited a website giving information on which countries allow a person to buy citizenship, residency, or a passport, according to Quaglin’s arrest affidavit.
Investigators also said that Quaglin made multiple searches for “guy gets bear sprayed at capital,” suggesting he was trying to find whether there was evidence online of him using a chemical irritant at the riot.
He also visited an FBI page where the agency put out calls for help identifying riot suspects eight times, according to the affidavit.
Quaglin is among more than 400 people arrested in connection to the Capitol riot so far.
Quaglin appeared virtually in federal court Wednesday where a judge decided to release him on house arrest, according to NJ.com.
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