WASHINGTON — A federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was on leave and about to resign was arrested Tuesday for illegally entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, according to filings in a Washington federal court.
He is the first federal law enforcement official arrested in connection with the Capitol siege.
The agent, Mark Sami Ibrahim of Orange County, California, did not enter the Capitol or engage in any violent acts, a court document said. But he flashed his badge and DEA-issued sidearm in photos, entered the restricted area of the grounds and later climbed on the Peace Memorial at the foot of Capitol Hill, prosecutors said.
Ibrahim was a probationary employee and had given notice of his intention to resign, the court document said. “He was not on duty for the DEA and had no role as a law enforcement officer on the Capitol grounds,” according to the document.
Prosecutors said when questioned two months later, he denied displaying his gun or badge. He was asked to go to the Capitol by a friend, he said, according to the court filing.
But the FBI said the friend told agents that Ibrahim went to the rally “to promote himself” because was thinking about launching a podcast and cigar brand, court documents said.
As of Tuesday, more than 560 people had been charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
