2 Men Charged With Assaulting Slain Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick

The FBI arrested both Julian Elie Khater from Pennsylvania and George Pierre Tanios from West Virginia on charges of assault against Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick who died soon after the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

Investigators examining footage from the Capitol insurrection, quickly identified two men using a chemical spray against Capitol police and specifically against Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in hospital care soon after the riots. The two were listed as people of interest and the FBI has actively sought the men since January.

While investigators initially believed a fire extinguisher hitting Sicknick’s head was his cause of death, an autopsy revealed that the blunt force trauma did not cause the officer’s death. The FBI now believes the chemical irritants used by Khater and Tanios may have caused Sicknick’s death, but neither man currently faces charges beyond assault.

The FBI released pictures of Khater and Tanios soon after the riots, but the two were not identified until months later. A tipster told the FBI in March that he recognized the two men and that they had grown up together in New Jersey. Another tipster told the FBI that Tanios “bragged about going to the insurrection at the Capitol on Facebook,” according to subsequent court documents.

It is unclear if Khater or Tanios will have the option to pay bail, or if they will be held until their trial date.

Article by Brandon Mumei