Authorities say six accused in plot to kill agents investigating him

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A Tennessee man is facing charges for assaulting a police officer on Jan. 1. The U.S. Department of Justice said the Feb. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol was charged with plotting to kill law enforcement officers investigating his case.

Edward Kelly, 33, of Maryville, Tennessee, and accomplice Austin Carter, 26, of Knoxville, Tennessee, were charged with conspiracy, retaliation against federal officials, spreading threats across state lines and abetting a crime, according to a Tennessee court filing Friday. Eastern District Court Kaifeng criminal proceedings, violence. The men were held without bail following a hearing Friday in federal court in Knoxville.

Kelly was arrested in May on suspicion of beating a police officer during the Capitol riot. Kelly had a list of personal information, such as the names and phone numbers of 37 law enforcement officers who investigated his role in the attack, according to the complaint.

The complaint alleges that Kelly recruited Carter and another individual at his workplace to help him with the new plot. The associate, who asked not to be named, decided to cooperate with law enforcement and secretly recorded discussions about Kelly’s plans to kill the officers and attack the FBI’s Knoxville office.

Authorities said the associate received an envelope with the list and surveillance camera footage from Kelly’s home showing at least one officer approaching Kelly’s home earlier this year to search it.

Authorities said the three men met on Dec. 12 in Jarvis Park in Maryville. 3 Discuss Kelly’s so-called “assassination mission,” according to the indictment. Kelly urged witnesses to “reach out to your police partners and see what information you can gather about individuals on the list.”

Attacks: Before, During and After

Efforts to contact Kelly’s family were unsuccessful, and Kelly’s attorney filed a Jan. 6 case, Marina Medvin of Alexandria, Virginia recently dropped out of his case. He is seeking a court-appointed attorney.

On December 13, when the witness and Carter finished their shift, Carter handed the list to the witness and told him to memorize it and “burn everything in the envelope.” The witness then handed over the envelope to authorities and agreed to “secretly tape” Kelly and Carter for the FBI, the complaint says.

According to the complaint, Kelly urged Carter and another associate to recruit others to continue raiding the FBI’s Knoxville office if he was extradited to the District of Columbia or arrested again.

“You guys take them out in their offices,” Kelly said in one recording. “You don’t have time to train or coordinate, but every shot hurts.

“Just make sure you have everything on the shelves, locked and loaded,” Kelly said, according to the indictment.

In May, Kelley was arrested and charged with assault, resisting arrest, and illegal entry for his role in the Jan. 17 operation. 6 Attack on the Capitol.

The attack began when Kelly, wearing a gas mask and a green tactical helmet, got into an altercation with a Capitol Police officer on the west side of the Capitol, the indictment said.

Kelly then knocked down a window in the Senate Wing with a piece of wood before kicking open a door to let other rioters in, authorities said. Once inside, Kelly was part of the team that confronted Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who later won the Congressional Gold Medal for his heroism in diverting insurgents away from lawmakers.

Alice Crites contributed to this report.

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