State Department security officer arrested over January 6 Capitol riot

A former contractor for the US Department of State has been criminally charged in connection with the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Kevin Alstrup of Washington DC was arrested and charged with four misdemeanour offences on 6 February, including entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct and unlawful picketing.

Mr Alstrup was employed by the State Department as a “diplomatic security officer” at the time of the riots, according to an FBI affidavit. In that role, he would have been “familiar with providing security and protection for high-ranking government officials or sensitive locations, like embassies,” according to court documents.

Surveillance footage and still images from livestreams included in the charging documents show Mr Alstrup inside the US Capitol during the siege.

He is also pictured in livestream footage from far-right troll and convicted rioter Anthime “Baked Alaska” Gionet, who was sentenced to 60 days in prison last year after pleading guilty to riot-related charges.

Mr Alstrup’s alleged social media accounts also posted images from outside the Capitol, according to court documents. FBI agents determined that he spent roughly half an hour inside, where he appeared to be photographing rioters entering the building through broken windows. He was later captured in body-worn camera footage from law enforcement officers outside the building.

Kevin Alstrup, a former contractor for the State Department, was criminally charged in connection with the Capitol attack.

Agents used a Gmail address and Google location data associated with a device on Capitol grounds to identify him, according to the FBI affidavit.

Mr Alstrup no longer works for the State Department, though it is