The Capitol riot suspect who allegedly followed Officer Eugene Goodman while wearing a QAnon shirt was granted bond to await trial in home confinement.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly found Douglas Jensen, who prosecutors allege was at the front of the mob chasing the Capitol officer during the 6 January riot, could not have planned the attack as he appeared to have “no basic understanding of where he even was that day”, according to Law & Crime.
The ruling came a day after video appeared of Mr Jensen at the Capitol saying “This is me, touching the f*cking White House”.
“Storm the White House! That’s what we do!”, he said, not at the White House.
Mr Jensen became one of the most high-profile suspects from the Capitol riot after video footage showed Officer Goodman lead the mob up multiple flights of stairs and away from the Senate chamber.
Footage appeared to show Mr Jensen wearing a QAnon shirt at the time with the group’s mottos, “Trust the Plan” and “Where We Go One, We Go All.”
Mr Goodman was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the body’s highest civilian honour. During the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, security videos showed officer Goodman helping stall the mob so vice-president Mike Pence could escape, and guide senator Mitt Romney to safety.
Assistant US Attorney Hava Mirell wrote in a memo to the court that Mr Jensen wanted to be a “poster boy” for the events of 6 January.
“The harrowing footage of Jensen spearheading the menacing pursuit of Officer Goodman up two flights of stairs remains one of the most infamous videos from January 6,” the memo said.
“A self-proclaimed ‘digital soldier’ and ‘religious’ adherent of QAnon, Jensen travelled to Washington DC because he was ‘all about a revolution,’ and was ‘trying to fire up this nation.’”
In releasing Mr Jensen to home incarceration while awaiting trial, Judge Kelly said the bond did not minimize his actions as liberty is the norm for pre-trial detention.
“But for the heroic actions of Officer Goodman, we do not know where the mob would have ended up,” Kelly said at the hearing, according to Law & Crime.
