Mark Sami Ibrahim, an agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has recently been arrested for his alleged participation in the events of January 6 that took place on Capitol Hill, as reported by CNBC on Tuesday.
Per reports, Ibrahim purportedly flashed his handgun and badge, both of which were issued by the DEA, during the Capitol Hill protests. Additionally, Ibrahim presumably took photographs with these items.
According to the court filing, Ibrahim was not on DEA duty during the events that took place on Capitol Hill, and he also “had no role as a law enforcement officer on the Capitol grounds.” The DEA agent had also taken personal leave from the agency prior to heading to Washington, D.C.
Ibrahim, an Orange County, California resident, had been a probationary employee of the federal agency. Moreover, he had also given the DEA notice regarding his preplanned resignation, which took place a few weeks before January 6.
According to the Independent, Ibrahim has been arrested and charged for entering, as well as remaining, in a restricted facility with a firearm. He has also been charged with climbing on statues on the Capitol Hill grounds, as well as entering the Capitol grounds with a firearm.
In addition to these charges, Ibrahim also faces charges for making various false statements, which followed an interview conducted in March with the U.S. DoJ Office of the Inspector General.
According to authorities, Ibrahim forcibly entered the restricted area surrounding the Capitol, and he also climbed on the Peace Memorial, which is located at the foot of Capitol Hill. Ibrahim was also an allegedly active participant in a WhatsApp group that contained “at least five other law enforcement officers,” as noted in the formal court filings.
Various documents containing cell phone data illustrate that Ibrahim physically arrived to the Capitol Hill ground at approximately 1:06 p.m., or 13 minutes after the protestors began forcibly began breaking down the fencing that had protected the grounds. At approximately 1:09 p.m., Ibrahim presumably began to “[pose] for several photographs in which he flashed and displayed his DEA badge and firearm.”
In addition, Ibrahim is also seen at approximately 1:45 p.m. the same day, based on a video posted to the Internet. The video reveals that Ibrahim was approximately 400 feet inside the first set of fencing that had been set up to barricade the Capitol. Ibrahim was pictured brandishing a flag that contained the words “LIBERTY OR DEATH.”
Cell-phone data documents that Ibrahim arrived at the Capitol grounds at 1:06 p.m., 13 minutes after protestors started breaking down fencing protecting the grounds. Three minutes later he “posed for several photographs in which he flashed and displayed his DEA badge and firearm.”
Thus far, over 500 individuals have faced arrests for their presumed participation in the events of January 6, which apparently aimed to stop Congress’s official certification of multiple millions of votes for the 2020 presidential election. Of these individuals, over 20 law enforcement professionals have also been charged.