Brothers arrested for assaulting police in Jan 6 riot

FBI says Leyden was part of mob that confronted police officers outside the Capitol on 6 January

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested two brothers from Illinois for their alleged involvement in attacking police officers during last January’s Capitol Hill riot.

Daniel Leyden, 55, of Chicago and Joseph Leyden, 56, of nearby La Grange, were arrested in Illinois on Tuesday, the FBI said in a press release.

The FBI said that Mr Leyden was part of a mob that confronted police officers outside the Capitol on 6 January.

Mr Leyden and the mob “lifted and pushed” a metal barricade onto a police officer, pinning the him underneath.

The mob also assaulted other officers, one of whom “was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion.”

His actions resulted in “actions contributed to injuries that these officers sustained, and prevented the officers from defending themselves and providing aid to each other”, according to charges filed against him.

Mr Leyden’s brother Joseph has been charged in connection with the actions of another group of rioters.

The mob allegedly pulled metal barriers into the crowd, while he “advanced and rushed towards an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department” before he “lunged at and pushed the officer”.

Joseph was also captured on video during the riot, wearing a red hat, blue hooded sweatshirt with “Trump 2020” in white letters, blue jeans, and a blue flag tied around his neck, reported CBS News.

Mr Leyden was charged with a felony offense of assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement with a dangerous weapon.

Both the brothers have also been charged with the felony offense of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder as well as four related misdemeanor offenses.

The Leyden brothers are the latest of more than 30 Illinois residents who have been charged in connection with the Capitol insurrection.

More than 860 people from across the country have been charged since the Capitol was breached by former president Donald Trump’s supporters in a bid to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

(Additonal reporting by agencies)