WASHINGTON — A federal judge said Tuesday that a State Department diplomatic security officer can continue to carry a gun on the job while awaiting trial on charges related to the Capitol riot.
Kevin Michael Alstrup of Washington, D.C., was charged this week with four misdemeanor counts for allegedly breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as part of a pro-Trump mob.
The indictment shows Alstrup inside the Capitol in numerous still images from a live stream taken by another rioter, far-right streamer Anthem “Baked Alaska” Gionet. ing. Gionet pleaded guilty in 2022 and was sentenced last year to 60 days in prison and three years of supervised release.
Investigators said Google location data showed a phone associated with Alstrup's email address was located on the Capitol grounds between approximately 1:17 p.m. and 3:43 p.m. on Jan. 6. or was shown to have been in the building. It subsequently emerged that Mr. Alstrup was employed by Congress. He said he works as a diplomatic security officer for the State Department and as a result is “well-versed in the security and protection of sensitive locations such as government officials and embassies.”
Credit: Department of Justice
Kevin Michael Alstrup of Washington, DC; State Department ID photo (left) taken at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Surveillance images show Alstrup entering the Capitol through a door in the Senate Building, the site of the initial break-in, and walking through the Capitol to the basement. Occasionally, Mr. Alstrup can be seen holding a camera and taking pictures of strangers climbing through broken windows.
Astrup appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey on Tuesday. Harvey granted his release on a personal order to stay away from the Capitol and not to possess firearms except while on duty. It was not immediately clear what effect the charges would have on his employment at the State Department.
Tuesday marked 37 months since the riot at the Capitol. In his three years from that date, more than 1,300 defendants were charged with crimes ranging from entering restricted areas to seditious conspiracy. Approximately 900 defendants have currently pleaded guilty or been sentenced at trial.
