On Wednesday, the DEA said in a statement that it was “aware” of the federal charges brought against him and that he is no longer employed at the agency.
An off-duty special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was armed with his DEA-issued gun when he attended the riot on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.
Mark Ibrahim of Orange County, California, who authorities say joined the pro-Trump riot, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with four crimes that include making a false statement and carrying a firearm on restricted grounds, CBS News reported.
He is the first federal law enforcement officer charged in connection with Jan. 6 insurrection, Politico reported.
Ibrahim, who said he planned to leave his job weeks before the Jan. 6 assault, is described as a “probational employee,” of the DEA, a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice, according to charging documents.
On Wednesday, the DEA said in a statement that it was “aware” of the federal charges brought against him and that he is no longer employed at the agency.
"DEA takes seriously our commitment to protecting the safety of the communities we serve. Any employee who violates the law or internal DEA policies will be held accountable,” according to a portion of the DEA statement, CBS reported.
Prosecutors said that Ibrahim posed for many photos that showed him displaying his badge and service weapon.
One of the photos shows him standing next to one of the metal barricades that had recently been pulled apart. Another features him allegedly carrying two flags: one a "Troutman Flag" that had the words "Liberty or Death" and the other a "Betsy Ross" flag, reportedly offensive due its association with an era of slavery, a report said.
Prosecutors also said he sent photos of himself at the riot to a WhatsApp group-chat that included at least five other law enforcement officers.
He also sent a video filmed by his friend to the group-chat of Ashli Babbit, the 35-year-old who was fatally shot as she along with other rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, being placed in an ambulance, court documents allege, CBS reported.
At one point during the riot, Ibrahim climbed onto the Peace Monument to take a video of himself as he delivered a “monologue,” prosecutors said.
Ibrahim said through this attorney that he was not inside the Capitol building nor did he take part in any of the violence. However, prosecutors allege that he breached the laws by crossing police Iines set up with barricades and other markers that closed off access to most of the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, Politico said.
