Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Facebook Gives FBI Private Messages Of Users Discussing Capitol Hill Riot

Facebook Gives FBI Private Messages Of Users Discussing Capitol Hill Riot

DOJ files charges against alleged rioter after the FBI raided his Facebook account, including private messages and an IP address that plotted his approximate locations.
Despite attempts to play down the use of Facebook amongst Capitol Hill rioters, the social media giant is furnishing the feds with data on users who took part in the siege, including their private messages, after calls from lawmakers to do so.

In a criminal complaint filed against New York resident Christopher M. Kelly on Wednesday, a search warrant on his Facebook account was revealed. After being tipped off about Facebook posts from an account belonging to Kelly containing images of him at the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, the FBI sought his private messages, as well as his linked IP address, phone number and Gmail address.

Amongst the data provided by Facebook were private messages with other users. When one contact told him to stay safe and to be on the lookout for Antifa, a far-left organization, he responded: “I'll be with ex-NYPD and some Proud Boys. This will be the most historic event of my life.” The Proud Boys is a far-right organization, members of which took part in the siege of the Capitol. From the messages, the FBI believes Kelly’s brother is a retired police officer and he’d planned to go to the Capitol with his sibling.

According to the complaint, in another chat, on January 9, Kelly posted a photograph that appeared to show him with his top off, brandishing an American flag in front of the Capitol, telling the recipient: “That’s me,” and, ”My brother took it.”

In a private message sent to a group chat on January 6, he wrote: “Tear gas, police, stopped the hearing, they are all headed to the basement.” And later: “F**k these snakes. Out of OUR HOUSE!”

The IP log history provided by the social media giant was useful, too, showing IP address locations indicating he had traveled from New York to Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., on January 6.

There’s no indication that Kelly has been arrested, though an arrest warrant has been issued. No lawyer has been listed, and Forbes couldn’t find any contacts for Kelly. He remains innocent until proven guilty.

Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg had stated shortly after the mob attack on the Hill that the protests were largely organized on smaller, fringe social media sites. She was subsequently criticized as evidence mounted that numerous Facebook groups and accounts, public and private, were used to help organize the protest. Some contained violent threats. And whilst Parler was used by many of those who attended, the DOJ has filed numerous charges against individuals who were both planning their visit to Washington, D.C., and posting about their attendance on Facebook.

As per an analysis by the Program on Extremism at the George Washington University earlier this week, social media was referenced in 78% of 92 criminal complaints filed in the Justice Department’s investigations into the riots. Of those, 38% included social media posts from an individual who was subsequently charged.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
×