Category: Homeland Security

Trump Supporter Rasha Abual-Ragheb, of Fairfield, Charged as Violent US Capitol Insurgent

1/20/2021

by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com
Published 7:11pm

IMAGE: FBI

Fairfield resident Rasha Abual-Ragheb, who goes by the name Rasha Abu on Facebook, has been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for having taken part in the violent insurrection at the US Capitol Building on Jan. 6.

The US Capitol Police protects the Capitol Building 24 hours a day through permanent and temporary security barriers which allow only authorized persons with identification to enter. On the day of the capital riots, the exterior surrounding the Capitol Building was also securely closed to the public.

The FBI allege that Abual-Ragheb's right-wing extremism, which led to her participation in the violent mobs, was known for months on local and on right-wing Facebook groups, as well as on her own profile page.

JULY, 2020

After attending a Trump rally in Bedminster, Abual-Ragheb posted images to a local Fairfield group:

IMAGE: Facebook

AUGUST, 2020

Several times in the Fairfield group, Abual-Ragheb has stated that she supports the police and wants Fairfield to host a "Back the Police" rally.

Additionally she posted photos of her truck painted conspicuously which residents have seen driving throughout the area. The truck is painted in support of the Trump administration while also deriding the Murphy administration.

IMAGE: Facebook

IMAGE: West Essex Now

NOVEMBER, 2020: FBI INVESTIGATION

A confidential source provided the FBI with Rasha Abu's Fairfield profile account photos and the agents matched her photo to the NJ Drivers Licence for Rasha Abual-Ragheb.

The FBI allege that Abual-Ragheb's Facebook account participated in a now removed group called New Jersey chapter of the American Patriot 3% and she is reported to have made the following concerning statements:

"The revolution will start not by standing by, but by standing up"
"Civil war is coming"
"Show support, and rise up and fight for our Constitution"

At that time, members of the FBI Newark Division interviewed Abual-Ragheb who is reported to have made the following statements to them regarding her Facebook posts:

She is a Trump supporter
She attended Trump rallies
She was blocked from making posts on Facebook and Twitter because of her pro-Trump postings

Additionally, Abual-Ragheb provided the agents with her telephone number.

DECEMBER, 2020

On Dec. 29, Abual-Ragheb created a public post on her Facebook profile page which was liked/loved by 11 of her Facebook friends. The public post stated the "Storm IS UPON us get ready Patriots"

The "Storm" refers to a QAnon conspiracy which asserts that in October 2017, when President Trump dined with military leaders and called it the "calm before the storm," he was secretly stating in code that he had a master plan to stage a coup against the Democratic Party.

By 2020, after Trump's electoral loss and his repeated insistence that he had in fact won the election, the QAnon call for a Storm to overturn the election became prominent among many of his supporters who have come to call themselves Patriots.

In Abual-Ragheb's case, she was apparently referring to her own participation in the storming of the US Capitol Building which would take place nine days later.

IMAGE: Facebook

JAN. 6, 2021 CAPITOL INSURRECTION

1pm

Vice President Mike Pence was present as the Joint Session of US Congress convened inside the US Capitol building working to certify the Electoral College vote count

1:30pm

House and Senate members debated in separate congressional chambers; Vice President Mike Pence was present in the Senate chamber
US Capitol Police attempted to keep a growing number of insurgents from entering the US Capitol building; all of the doors and windows were locked and secured

2pm

Insurgents assaulted members of the US Capitol Police and proceeded to break windows of the Capitol Building and gain entry
The crowd nearest the building assisted and encouraged those violent and unlawful acts

2:20pm

Vice President Mike Pence and all members of the House and Senate and their staff were instructed to evacuate the House and Senate chambers

8pm

Vice President Mike Pence, who was present the entire time in the US Capitol building resumed the Senate proceedings

FBI INVESTIGATION

According to her own Facebook posts and cellphone images, Abual-Ragheb proudly took part in the mob riots.

The following information is provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation:

IMAGE: FBI

Evening

A Confidential Source advised FBI agents that they encountered a woman on the sidewalk of the Kimpton George Hotel in Washington D.C. dressed in distinct clothing and making a scene
The Source took a photo of the woman, who identified herself as "Rasha"
Rasha expressed to the Source that she had been inside the US Capitol Building and then showed the Source a photo of herself inside of the building to prove it
The Source reported to the FBI that Rasha said she was present at the time the woman got shot inside of the building, and saw her get shot

IMAGE: FBI

JAN. 7, 2021 TIMELINE

A second confidential Source contacted the FBI Philadelphia Division on the day after the insurgency to report that they observed Rasha Abu's Facebook page which showed Rasha participating in the Capitol insurrection.

Newark FBI agents were then able to match up Rasha's phone number in their database since November to legally confirm through Facebook that Abual-Ragheb was in fact the subscriber who had uploaded the photos.

Rasha Abu's Facebook page provided the following information to the agents:

Rasha checked into the Kimpton George Hotel in Washington, DC

IMAGE: FBI

Rasha was present at the capital in an effort to "Stop the Steal"

IMAGE: FBI

Rasha was present at the Capitol insurgency
Rasha stated: “Just left Dc… I got tear gas, paper spray!!! But I was part of the history. We the people won’t take it anymore. Antifa were between us, i and other MAGA people told Dc police, get that Antifa they didn’t do anything. He had black metal chair... The police would order to use full force on us from the beginning when we start marching to the capital, the use teargas and pepper spray and rubber bullet, they shot the woman that was standing peacefully without a a weapon, they hit women’s kids. They hit people with the pat metal one.”

IMAGE: FBI

JAN. 12, 2021

The second Source had also provided the FBI with photos from the Rasha Abu Facebook account which the Source believed were taken inside of the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

US Capitol Police Officer Mark Smoot, who is part of the US Capitol Police First Responders Unit (FRU) assigned to the Capitol Building, advised the FBI of the following:

He was confident that the photos display the first floor of the US Senate side of the Capitol Building because of the archway and white shutters and molding

IMAGE: Facebook

JAN. 16, 2021

The FBI asserted that there is probable cause to believe that Rasha Abual-Ragheb violated 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1) and (2):

(1) It is illegal to knowingly enter or remain in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do
(2) It is illegal to knowingly, and with intent. to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions, engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct, in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions

A “restricted building” includes:

a posted, cordoned off, or otherwise restricted area of a building or grounds where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service, including the Vice President, is or will be temporarily visiting; or any building or grounds so restricted in conjunction with an event designated as a special event of national significance

The FBI additionally asserted that there is probable cause to believe that Rasha Abual-Ragheb violated 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D) and (G):

It is illegal to willfully and knowingly utter loud, threatening, or abusive language, or engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct, at any place in the Grounds or in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress or either House of Congress, or the orderly conduct in that building of a hearing before, or any deliberations of, a committee of Congress or either House of Congress
It is illegal to parade, demonstrate, or picket in any of the Capitol Buildings

JAN. 17 2021: CHARGES

Rasha N. Abual-Ragheb was charged with the following federal crimes:

Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
Knowingly Engaging in Disorderly or Disruptive Conduct in any Restricted Building or Grounds
Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds

POLICE

Trump Supporter Rasha Abual-Ragheb, of Fairfield, Charged as Violent US Capitol Insurgent

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