Decatur man arrested for alleged participation in Jan. 6 attacks at U.S. Capitol

ATLANTA — A Decatur man has been arrested on federal charges for his participation in the attacks at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and on weapons charges.

Warrants for Matthew Jay Webler were issued on Nov. 24 and he was arrested last month. He’s one of at least 17 people from Georgia arrested for participating in an attempt to disrupt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election. Hundreds of people across the U.S. have been arrested for breaching barricades and storming the Capitol building. Five people died as a result of the attacks.

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Agents with the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Squad were able to use Webler’s cell phone to determine that he was on Capitol grounds the day of the attack and he also posted footage of the insurrection attempt on his Facebook page.

Investigators said he described going inside the Capitol building in one of his videos, and surveillance video appears to show him inside the building.

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In Facebook communications, Webler said he was “proud for not getting caught up too much and having the sense to stand up to someone trying to vandalize the place. Missed the guy taking “souvenirs” though.”

Webler has been charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly an disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

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Webler was also arrested on unrelated weapons charges. Warrants reveal that Webler was arrested on aggravated assault charges in Bartow County in 2000, and on burglary charges in the same county in 2012 and 2015.

Despite his convictions, warrants state that he owned a home-made rifle, two magazines of ammunition, three silencers and tools to make weapons.

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