A California woman is accused of bringing an array of weapons, including a sword, a steel whip and a knife, into the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, court records released Wednesday showed.
Kennedy Lindsey was carrying a short sword, a tactical steel whip, a collapsible baton, pepper spray, a butterfly knife and a Taser-type flashlight when a U.S. Secret Service officer searched his backpack, according to an FBI affidavit.
Mme Lindsey was arrested in Los Angeles last month on charges of disorderly conduct and possession of a dangerous weapon in a Capitol building.
More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the Capitol assault, which included guns, knives and stun guns.
Many others used objects like flagpoles and pieces of office furniture as makeshift weapons during the siege.
Mme Lindsey was charged along with another woman who flew with her to Washington. She had purchased both plane tickets after then-President Donald Trump announced there would be a “wild” protest there on January 6. Mme Lindsey opened up about her trip on social media, saying she was going because “the boss called us to be there.”
After attending Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House, the two women rode to the Capitol in the back of a golf cart.
“Everybody storm the building, folks,” Mr.me Lindsey in a self-recorded video, according to the affidavit. “We have to do this as patriots. That’s what the Constitution says.”
Mme Lindsey, who was wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat and a tactical vest, entered the Capitol through a broken window, the FBI said. The Secret Service officer who approached Mme Lindsey had seen the sword strapped to his leg, according to the affidavit.
Mme Lindsey later testified to the FBI that she retrieved the backpack from her hotel room after attending Mr. Trump’s speech. She described her confiscated weapons as “tools” and acknowledged that they were in her backpack when she entered the Capitol.
Mme Lindsey was released after her arrest on July 28.
She did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment, nor did the lawyer who represented her at her first court appearance.
In Video: 41 Minutes of Fear: A Timeline Inside the Capitol Siege