Social media posts at Capitol led to Newburgh man’s arrest

By CLOEY CALLAHAN
Posted 1/27/21

Edward Lang was arrested at his home on Liberty Street on Saturday, January 16 for his alleged involvement in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

According to a statement from …

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Social media posts at Capitol led to Newburgh man’s arrest

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Edward Lang was arrested at his home on Liberty Street on Saturday, January 16 for his alleged involvement in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

According to a statement from Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. and the FBI New York, Lang is in custody.

“Decisions have consequences,” the full statement reads. “Edward Lang is in custody for the ones he made during the assault on our Capitol. FBI special agents and employees have sworn an oath to support and defend our Nation’s Constitution. We will continue to track down and hold accountable those who attempt to violently subvert it.”

He was charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees, civil disorder, restricted building or grounds, and violent entry or disorderly conduct.

The affidavit explained how Lang traveled to Washington, D.C. and “knowingly and willfully joined a crowd of individuals who forcibly entered the grounds of the United States Capitol and impeded, disrupted, and disturbed the orderly conduct of business by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.”

What led to Lang’s arrest was his use of social media, with the accounts now suspended, during his entering into the Capitol building. The video footage he shared “depicted evidence of violations of local and federal law.”

He posted one photo “at some point during or after the attack” that shows him in front of the capital with the caption “1776 has commenced.”

On Facebook, he posted a photo and video that showed him and a large crowd at the lower west terrace door of the Capitol. The caption of the video read, “I was the leader of Liberty today. Arrest me. You are on the wrong side of history.”

Another photo he posted of himself on Instagram at the Capital had the caption “Pepper spray really does wonders for your complexion #1776.”

The affidavit said that the background of the images and videos “are consistent with known images of the Capitol breach.”

Two days after the breach, Lang continued to post on his social media accounts. On Instagram he posted a video with the caption, “GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH.” He reshared a video and wrote on top of it “THIS IS ME” with an emoji pointing at himself in the crowd.

Before he was arrested on January 16, he posted on his Instagram on January 14 stating:

“I want to use this time to say thank you for all the people that have been reaching out, calling me a patriot…” “Been really amazing to have this impact on the community, going to keep on fighting for you guys, we got some big things planned. We are not going to let them take our Constitutional Liberties. Our God-given rights are safe within the hearts of the patriots. So we won’t give up. You guys should not give up. Contact me if you want to be a part of the patriot movement.”