FBI arrests Trump's former chief strategist: after serious allegations, he is now threatened with imprisonment

Donald Trump's formerly most important advisor has turned himself in to the police.

Steve Bannon is accused of obstructing Congress in its investigation.

Washington - "Tomorrow all hell breaks loose" - because of this statement, the former chief adviser to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, is suspected of having knowledge of the violent protests on the US Capitol at an early stage. The influential US right-wing populist has now surrendered to the police after his congressional obstruction charge and has been brought before a judge. Bannon appeared at the FBI Federal Police in the capital Washington on Monday. The 67-year-old was emphatically combative: "That's all noise," said Bannon to journalists about the indictment. "We bring down the Biden regime."

Bannon was then brought before a federal judge.

This released the defendant without paying bail, a court spokesman said.

A new hearing before another judge was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Steve Bannon arrested by the FBI: Trump adviser ignores subpoena

Bannon was charged on Friday by a so-called grand jury on two counts of disregard for Congress.

In concrete terms, this means an obstruction to the work of the Congress.

The Trump confidante had ignored a summons from the parliamentary committee of inquiry to storm the US Capitol on January 6th.

He also refuses to hand over documents to the House of Representatives body.

The Congress Chamber therefore voted on October 21 to file charges against Bannon.

If convicted, Bannon faces between 30 days and one year in prison for each charge, plus a fine of up to $ 100,000 each.

The Justice Department had initially spoken of a fine of up to $ 1,000 per charge, but later corrected this information.

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Steve Bannon faces the authorities with maximum media impact.

© Bryan Olin Dozier / imago

Steve Bannon arrested in Washington: Committee believes Trump supporters are key figures in Capitol storm

The committee of inquiry considers Bannon to be a key figure in the storming of the Capitol and therefore a key witness.

Bannon is said to have known in advance that there would be violence on January 6th.

The committee of inquiry relies, among other things, on a certain statement by Bannons in his own podcast the day before the storming of the Capitol.

The right-wing populist predicted that "all hell will break loose."

On January 6, Bannon is also said to have stayed with other Trump confidants in a kind of informal command center that had been set up in the luxurious Willard Hotel near the White House.

The indictment against Bannon was a major achievement for the parliamentary committee of inquiry - especially since another important witness in Trump's former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, ignored a subpoena.

Trump adviser arrested: Five people died in Capitol storm

Radical Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, when the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election on November 3, 2020 was to be certified.

Five people were killed in the unrest in Washington that day, including a police officer.

The investigative committee set up by the House of Representatives is supposed to clarify the exact background of the attack.

The House of Representatives had already initiated impeachment proceedings against Trump shortly after the Capitol was stormed.

This impeachment process later failed in the Senate, where the two-thirds majority required for a conviction was not achieved.

(AFP / dpa / fmü)

List of rubric lists: © Bryan Olin Dozier / imago