FBI: 5 militia members charged with storming Capitol

Police stand guard after holding off rioters who tried to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. Federal authorities say five Florida men affiliated with a militia group have been arrested on charges that they joined a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Five Florida men affiliated with a militia group called “B Squad” have been arrested on charges that they joined a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, disrupting Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory, federal authorities said Wednesday.

“B Squad” members stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while wearing riot gear and armed with metal batons, knives, chemical spray and walking sticks, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. Group members joined the mob in a “heave-ho” push against police officers trying to secure a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace, the affidavit says.

Officers ultimately repelled the mob after more than two hours of violence inside the tunnel. More than 100 police officers were injured at the Capitol on Jan. 6.