The Oath Keepers stockpiled an arsenal of weapons and 30 days of supplies at a Comfort Inn just outside Washington, D.C., ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, prosecutors alleged in a late-night court filing Wednesday.
In a memo seeking the pretrial detention of Ed Vallejo, one of 11 members of the group charged last week with seditious conspiracy to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president, prosecutors said three “quick reaction force” teams were set up at the hotel and prepared to transport weapons into Washington to prevent Congress from securing Biden’s victory.
Prosecutors said the arsenal became “unnecessary” because the Oath Keepers at the Capitol were able to get inside using the force of the protesters that stormed the building.
Messages exchanged by Vallejo and others, prosecutors said, give the impression the Oath Keepers were prepared for a lengthy fight and indicated the group discussed plans to continue working against the transfer of power right up to Biden’s inauguration.
Prosecutors argue that Vallejo, who is set to appear in federal court in Phoenix for his detention hearing Thursday, would present a threat to the general public if released.
Among the weapons stockpile at the Comfort Inn were “at least three luggage carts’ worth of gun boxes, rifle cases, and suitcases filled with ammunition.”
Prosecutors allege Vallejo “attempted, but failed, to launch a ‘drone with a 720p cam for recon use.'”
Capitol Police officials have recently described efforts to protect the Capitol against unauthorized drones.
“That Vallejo’s co-conspirators did not activate him on Jan. 6 does not mitigate his dangerousness,” they argued. “Vallejo traveled across the country and staged himself near the congressional proceedings ready to transport firearms and equipment into the nation’s capital. That is what makes him a danger.”
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