Man Arrested in Connection to Capitol Riot Admitted He Dressed to Look Like Antifa: FBI

A Virginia man arrested in connection with the Capitol riots dressed in all black on Jan. 6 so he would look like an Antifa member, according to an FBI affidavit.

Fi Duong is one of more than 520 people charged so far in relation to the riot, dozens of whom have been linked to far-right groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

Duong has been charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of an official proceeding and knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, the Associated Press reported. He also told an undercover FBI agent that he conducted "surveillance efforts" on the Capitol a month after the riot took place and was part of a militia group, for which the agent attended meetings.

The FBI obtained messages on an encrypted platform between Duong and an unknown associate, who spoke on Feb. 13 about returning to the Capitol for surveillance.

"Poke and prod. But have a legitimate reason to go. Visit a restaurant or something. Get something cheap. Walk around a bit," Duong messaged the associate, according to the affidavit.

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

The same associate was seen driving around the U.S. Capitol after telling the group on April 2 that he planned to conduct surveillance on the building. He later said he got rid of surveillance footage that he took, but that Duong still had it, the agent said.

Duong isn't charged with plotting any violence, however, and prosecutors didn't seek his pretrial detention after he was arrested on Friday. He was freed after his initial court appearance.

Sabrina Shroff, an assistant federal public defender who represented Duong at the hearing, declined to comment on the government's allegations.

The unsealed court filing says Duong's first contact with undercover investigators occurred on the morning of Jan. 6, when he and the associate introduced themselves to an undercover police officer near Freedom Plaza in Washington. Duong asked if the officer was a "patriot" and called himself an "operator."

A week after the riot, the officer introduced Duong to an undercover FBI agent who later attended group meetings at Duong's home in Alexandria, a Washington suburb, the agent's affidavit says.

The group called themselves "a Bible study" but also talked about firearms training events, the FBI said. During a Feb. 12 meeting, Duong discussed a Virginia secession movement that he said would be peaceful, according to the affidavit.

A man whom Duong described as a member of the Three Percenters far-right militia movement addressed a group meeting on March 20, the affidavit said. Duong said his loosely affiliated, unnamed group was similar to a militia based in northern Virginia but that his group's mission was different because they "can't be out in the open" and needed to be "a little bit more cloak and dagger," the agent wrote.

"He also said he did not necessarily approve of actions taken on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol and that it probably did more to hurt President Trump than to help him," the FBI agent wrote.

In May and in June, the undercover agent and Duong discussed making and testing Molotov cocktails, according to the affidavit. It says Duong repeatedly talked about engaging in violence against groups that don't share his views.

"My goal here is to outline the current 'state of play' in what could be called the second American Civil war," he said in a post shared with his group.

Court papers don't disclose Duong's age. They say his aliases include "Monkey King" and "Jim."