Capitol rioter who made antisemitic slurs found guilty

A white supremacist and Nazi sympathiser who reportedly carried a photograph of himself with a “Hitler moustache” and haircut, has been convicted in a Washington D.C. federal court for his part in the Capitol riots of 6th January 2020.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli worked at a naval weapons station in New Jersey and served as an Army reservist before his arrest for storming the Capitol. He was caught on camera shouting profanities at police.

Evidence included text messages sent by Mr Hale-Cusanelli allegedly containing antisemitic, racist and homophobic slurs, and suggestions of how the 2020 election results could be overturned.

Jurors also saw a video of him appearing to attempt to wave other rioters inside the Capitol through a skylight and heard a post-riot conversation secretly recorded by a roommate at the naval base, who reported him to the Naval Criminal Investigation Service.

His mobile phone reportedly held photos of him with a Hitler-style moustache and haircut, but Judge Trevor McFadden barred prosecutors from using the photos as evidence.

Mr Hale-Cusanelli, who identifies as “half-Jewish and half-Puerto Rican”, was described by his lawyer as someone who made “extreme statements to get attention.”

One juror told a local TV channel hat he was troubled by Mr Hale-Cusanelli’s use of antisemitic slurs, given his testimony that he was “half-Jewish”.

Mr Hale-Cusanelli is due for sentencing in September.

According to the FBI, over 60 percent of hate crimes against a religious minority are motivated by antisemitism. Campaign Against Antisemitism reports on antisemitic incidents throughout the United States.

image credit: United States Department of Justice