This post was updated Feb. 17 at 1:16 p.m.
The FBI arrested a UCLA student suspected of taking part in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, according to the Orange County Register.
Christian Secor, a UCLA undergraduate student, was arrested at his residence in Costa Mesa, California on Tuesday according to the Orange County Register. Secor was charged with five crimes, including Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds and Obstructing an Official Proceeding, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Secor allegedly participated in the Jan. 6 riots in Washington, D.C., where hundreds forcibly entered the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the presidential election results in favor of former President Donald Trump. Dozens of others have also been arrested and charged for their roles in the riots, according to the Department of Justice.
According to an affidavit used to support his arrest, Secor wore a “Make America Great Again” hat and held a blue flag with the slogan “America First” on the Senate floor during the Jan. 6 riots. Secor could not immediately be reached for comment.
Secor also helped force open a door that was blocked by police officers, which allowed dozens of rioters to enter the Capitol, according to the affidavit. After the riots, Secor moved back to his mother’s house in Orange County and got rid of his phone and car, according to a person interviewed by the FBI in the affidavit.
[Related link: UCLA students share their reactions to riots, violence at US Capitol]
UCLA spokesperson Bill Kisliuk declined to immediately provide details about Secor.
“Information on this person is not available to the public,” Kisliuk said in an emailed statement. “What I can tell you is that UCLA believes the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol was an attack on our democracy. As an institution, UCLA is committed to mutual respect, making decisions based on evidence and using rational debate and not physical violence.”
Kisliuk said in a statement in January that Secor is an enrolled UCLA student. Kisliuk added that students are expected to adhere to the Student Conduct Code and Principles of Community, though he did not specify if unlawfully entering the Capitol violated either of those policies.
Secor was listed as a signatory of America First Bruins, a conservative student group at UCLA, according to a listing for the club on the UCLA website, which has since been removed. The America First Bruins’ email account did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kisliuk said in January that America First Bruins was not a currently registered student organization.
In February 2020, Secor represented the Bruin Republicans at the crossfire debate, an annual debate between the Bruin Republicans and Bruin Democrats, where he argued in favor of gun rights. Bruin Republicans said in an emailed statement that it banned Secor from the club, and Secor has not been a part of the club for more than a year.
