Detroit, Jun 9 (AP) Ryan Kelley, one of five Republican candidates for Michigan governor, was charged with misdemeanors on Thursday for his role in the 2021 postelection riot at the US Capitol.

Kelley, 40, was arrested in western Michigan and awaits a court hearing in Grand Rapids, FBI spokeswoman Mara Schneider said.

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His arrest came hours before the House committee investigating the insurrection holds a widely-anticipated public hearing, showing never-seen video, audio and an array of evidence collected by the panel exemplifying the deadly violence that erupted that day.

There was no immediate comment from Kelley's campaign.

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Kelley's participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection has been widely known. In a court document, federal investigators filed photos of him in a baseball cap worn backward, trying to rally the pro-Donald Trump crowd.

An affidavit filed by the FBI says Kelley was captured on video outside the Capitol, where he repeatedly waved to the crowd, directing them toward stairs leading into the building.

He also used his cellphone “to film the crowd assaulting and pushing past US Capitol Police Officers.” He is later seen among a crowd that climbed the stairs to a Capitol entrance after causing police to retreat, the document states.

Kelley, who lives in Allendale Township, is accused of disruptive conduct, injuring public property and entering restricted space without permission, according to the criminal complaint.

Kelley is one of five candidates on the Aug. 2 Republican primary ballot. The winner will face Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Kelley is among more than 800 people who are facing criminal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. More than 300 people have pleaded guilty, largely to misdemeanor offenses punishable by no more than one year in prison.

Some who've pleaded guilty to misdemeanors have gotten short stints behind bars while others have been sentenced to home confinement or just probation.

Kelley declined to participate in a debate last week because organizers of a public policy conference on Mackinac Island required proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test.

During the early months of the pandemic, Kelley organised a protest at the Michigan Capitol, inviting heavily armed militias to gather inside the statehouse. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)