'Traitors get shot': Texas man who led Capitol riots threatened children against cooperating with police
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According to the affidavit, Reffitt's teenage son and daughter told the FBI that, upon his return to Texas, their father threatened them if they cooperated with police. 'If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors... traitors get shot,' Reffitt was quoted as saying
In the first criminal trial since the assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, prosecutors charged a Texas man with leading the attack.
Guy Reffitt, 49, of Wylie, Texas, faces charges of bringing a gun to Washington, battling police officers, and impeding an official proceeding.
It is expected that Reffitt's children will testify against him at the trial, which is closely watched for its potential to affect future prosecutions of January 6 defendants.
In his opening statement, Prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler described Reffitt as a leader of the "worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812," when British troops set fire to the Capitol.
Nestler said that mobs need leaders, and Reffitt, a member of a right-wing group called the Three Percenters, was "the tip of this mob's spear."
"He lit the match that started the fire," Nestler said.
William Welch, Reffitt's defence attorney, said that his client did not actually enter the Capitol building or assault anyone.
Over 750 people have been arrested for their roles in the failed effort to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 presidential election.
Reffitt is the first person to face criminal charges for their role in the violent storming of the Capitol. Nearly 220 people have already pleaded guilty.
According to the affidavit supporting his arrest, Reffitt travelled from Texas to Washington with another member of the Three Percenters.
Police released photographs showing Reffitt holding a black helmet and bulletproof vest on the steps of the Capitol. One of these shows Reffitt washing out his eyes with water after being pepper-sprayed by Capitol police.
According to the affidavit, Reffitt's teenage son and daughter told the FBI that, upon his return to Texas, their father threatened them if they cooperated with police.
"If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors... traitors get shot," Reffitt was quoted as saying.
Watch | Capitol Hill riots: 'No sensitive documents would have been torn up,' says former Trump Adviser
On January 19, 2021, FBI agents arrested Reffitt and recovered an AR-15 rifle and Smith & Wesson pistol from his Wylie, Texas, home.
Since his arrest, Reffitt has been in jail in Washington. If convicted, he could spend up to 20 years in prison.
So far, the maximum sentence meted out to a riot participant is five years in prison.
(With inputs from agencies)
