Iced Earth‘s Jon Schaffer has been ordered by a federal judge to be held without bond until his trial, following his arrest for raiding the U.S. Capitol on January 6. He appeared before the judge earlier today (March 19) via video call, according to WUSA9.
Schaffer turned himself in to authorities in his home state of Indiana in mid-January after photos emerged showing he was present inside the Capitol the day of the siege and his name was added to the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list. He faces six federal charges after the Capitol riot, including assaulting a police officer with ‘bear spray,’ a powerful, capsaicin-based aerosol deterrent.
Today, U.S. Judge Zia Faruqui ordered for the musician to be held without bail as he awaits his trial, “finding that while he wasn’t a flight risk, he does pose a danger to the community,” per WUSA9’s report.
On Feb. 15, CNN aired previously unreleased footage from the Jan. 6 attack where one clip appeared to show Schaffer charging Capitol Police as an entryway inside the Capitol was breached by rioters. He was seen near the front of the crowd and later stood behind another rioter, pointing toward police with his arm extended. The video seemed to capture the same moment seen in the widely-circulated photograph at the top of the page.
After several these photos and videos emerged, Iced Earth members Stu Block (vocals), Luke Appleton (bass) and Jake Dreyer (guitar) all announced their departure from the group. Hansi Kursch, singer in Demons & Wizards, his collaborative project with Schaffer, also announced his resignation.
Both Iced Earth and Demons & Wizards were removed from Century Media Records’ website.
The day of the riot, Schaffer was pictured wearing a hat that read, “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified the conspiracy-driven extremist group as one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the country.
Members of the Oath Keepers have been charged with coordinating an attack on the Capitol, though Schaffer’s name was not among those charged at the time of that report.