Image of Joseph Barnes on ITV News at the U.S Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the FBI. (Courtesy ITV, CNN, FBI)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The FBI arrested an Austin realtor and charged him with participating in last month’s deadly U.S. Capitol riots.
Joseph Cable Barnes, 34, is charged with violent entry or disorderly conduct, entering a restricted building or ground and obstructing a formal proceeding.
The FBI stated multiple witnesses alerted the law enforcement agency that they recognized Barnes from ITV News video footage from the U.S. Capitol riots. The FBI said Barnes was dressed in a dark beanie, an American flag gaiter and a dark-colored winter jacket with a fleeced neckline.
A statement of facts released by the FBI said Barnes was recorded in the video saying, “This is our house! This is our country! This is our country!” while standing in the middle of the U.S. Capitol building among other rioters.
Of the people the FBI contacted to help identify Barnes, one said they went to high school together, according to a court document. Another said they had recently interacted with each other, and a third person said they recognized him from his real estate business.
The FBI said the agency also found a Facebook page titled “Joe Barnes Art,” along with a separate web page with the address www.joebarnesart.com. The FBI said it used multiple photos on the Facebook page to confirm his identity. One of the photos, the FBI said, shows Barnes pointing an assault-style rifle at the camera with the caption, “A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither.”