Olympic gold-medallist Klete Keller charged for role in US Capitol riots
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Five-time Olympic medallist, Klete Keller on Wednesday was charged for his alleged participation in the US Capitol riot last week, according to court documents, media reports said.
Five-time Olympic medallist, Klete Keller on Wednesday was charged for his alleged participation in the US Capitol riot last week, according to court documents, media reports said.
Keller was charged for knowingly trespassing or remaining in any restricted building without lawful authority or disorderly conduct on US Capitol grounds and obstructing law enforcement engaged in an official task, according to documents filed in the US District Court in Washington, DC, media reports stated.
However, it is yet unclear whether Keller has an attorney or whether he is under police custody. However, he has been charged an arrest warrant has been issued.
FBI Special Agent Matthew R Barofsky has written, in court documents, that he confirmed Keller's identity by comparing photographs from his Colorado driver's license.
Keller, who is 6 feet, 6 inches tall, was allegedly spotted in the US Capitol where he was wearing a US Olympic Team jacket. Barofsky in his statement of facts wrote that Keller "appears to be one of the tallest individuals."
The court documents further say that research showed Keller was identified by media outlets such as SwimSwam, which thoroughly covers professional swimming.
In a statement, USA Swimming told CNN, "We respect private individuals' and groups' rights to peacefully protest but in no way condone the actions taken by those at the Capitol last week."
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee condemned the actions of the US Capitol rioters.
"We support the right to peacefully protest and express values and viewpoints in a respectful and lawful manner -- that is what makes our democracy strong. Sadly, that is not what happened in this case," the organisation said in a statement.
Keller is renowned for guiding the winning US team in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He went on to bag four more medals in three Olympic Games including gold in the same event in the 2008 Beijing Games.