Veteran self-publishes book on his experience at Jan. 6 riot — and gets arrested

Marine Corps veteran Nathan Thornsberry’s book describes itself as an ‘eyewitness account of the events of January 6th, 2021’

A self-published memoir on Amazon helped police catch a man who allegedly participated in the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Marine Corps veteran Nathan Thornsberry, 42, of North Branch, Michigan, was arrested on Thursday on felony charges of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.

Police found out about Thornsberry, who allegedly used his body to ram a police barrier separating the rioters from the Capitol, after the Flint, Michigan, FBI office got a tip he was behind a self-published book on Amazon about the insurrection.

The memoir, January 6: A Patriot’s Story, was published under a different name, Nathaniel Matthews, but police allege that it is Thornsberry who wrote it.

The biographical details in the about the author section match Thornsberry’s, they said, and a subpoena of Amazon records showed the account as registered under the name Nathan Thornsberry, with a phone number associated with a Facebook account of the same name.

Police body camera footage allegedly showing Nathan A. Thornsberry, a Michigan man who was arrested Thursday, August 22, 2024, for obstruction and other offenses during the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. (Department of Justice)

Prosecutors also allege that body camera evidence from police shows Thornsberry, clad in a Marines-themed leather jacket, ramming a barrier and yelling “Bring it!” at police.

The $6.99 book remains on Amazon and describes itself as an “eyewitness account of the events of January 6th, 2021.”

“For over a year, the mainstream media and establishment politicians have created a narrative of a violent and coordinated insurrection,” a promotional copy reads. “The reporting has been selective and misleading. The author gives his opinion on what motivated hundreds of thousands if not millions of protesters to journey to the nation’s Capitol, recalls what he saw and experienced that day, and shares his thoughts on the aftermath.”

In court documents, an FBI agent quoted from the book, where the author described wanting to attend January 6 in part to push back against his belief that a “shadowy organization has infiltrated our society, our institutions, and not just in the United States, but across the world – our schools, universities, intelligence agencies, our news and our entertainment, and our elected officials at both the state and federal levels.”

Officials have charged more than 1,400 individuals with offenses related to January 6 since 2021.