WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday said a diplomatic security officer with the State Department can continue possessing a gun on duty while he awaits trial on charges related to the Capitol riot.
Kevin Michael Alstrup, of D.C., was charged this week with four misdemeanor counts for allegedly entering the U.S. Capitol as part of a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021.
Charging documents show Alstrup pictured inside the Capitol in numerous still images from a live stream filmed by another rioter, far-right streamer Anthime “Baked Alaska” Gionet. Gionet pleaded guilty in 2022 and was sentenced last year to 60 days in prison and three years of supervised release.
According to investigators, Google location data showed a phone associated with Alstrup’s email address was located on the Capitol grounds or inside the building from roughly 1:17 p.m. to 3:43 p.m. on Jan. 6. It was then determined Alstrup was employed by the State Department as a diplomatic security officer and that as a result he was “familiar with providing security and protection for high-ranking government officials or sensitive locations, like embassies.”
Alstrup can be seen in surveillance images entering the Capitol through the Senate Wing door, the site of the first breach, and then walking through the Capitol to the Crypt. At times, Alstrup can be seen holding up a camera and filming others climbing through broken windows.
Astrup made his initial appearance in court Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey. Harvey granted him release on personal recognizance with an order to stay away from the Capitol and not to possess firearms except while on duty. It was not immediately clear how the charges would affect his employment with the State Department.
Tuesday marked 37 months since the riot at the Capitol. In the three years since that day, more than 1,300 defendants have been charged with crimes ranging from entering a restricted area to seditious conspiracy. Approximately 900 defendants have now pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.