A Cottonwood man was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 raid of the U.S. Capitol while clad as “Captain Moroni” after authorities received a tip that he was the man seen in many photos and videos circulating the internet.
Nathan Wayne Entrekin, 48, is said to have traveled over 2,200 miles to Washington, D.C., from Cottonwood in his personal car to join thousands of others to protest and try to overthrow President Joe Biden’s election into office, according to an FBI affidavit.
In a wealth of photo and video evidence circulating online, Entrekin can be seen at the U.S. Capitol wearing what appears to be a gladiator costume carrying a flag that reads:
“In memory of our God, and our religion, and our freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children. Alma 46:12.”
In multiple statements made in video interviews the day of the riots, he explains that he is dressed as Captain Moroni. Captain Moroni is a figure from the Book of Mormon who is said to have fought to defend his people from an enemy that sought to overthrow democracy and establish a king, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint website.
“I am Captain Moroni. I am the William Wallace of the Book of Mormon. In the Book of Alma of the Book of Mormon, a freedom fighter named Captain Moroni fought for his freedom against the King-Men. He was a Freeman, part of the Freemen movement,” Entrekin said in a video interview Jan. 6.
On or around Jan. 11, someone provided a tip to the FBI that Entrekin was the man seen in the photos and videos online. Agents interviewed him on Feb. 2, during which time he gave them consent to search his cell phone. Investigators found at least eight videos of the raid that appeared to have been taken by Entrekin for his mother.
“I made it Mom. I made it to the top. Mom, look, I made it to the top, to the top here. Look at all the patriots here …. Oh man. Look at all the patriots here. Patriots, patriots, patriots. Look at all the people, Mom. Look at all that down there,” Entrekin narrated in one video.
The videos taken at the Capitol contradicted the story Entrekin told authorities of how the events of Jan. 6 took place and provided them with evidence to form charges against him. Entrekin told investigators that he had followed a mass of people walking toward the Capitol around 11:30 a.m. the day of the raid. He also said that while he was on the lawn of the Capitol building, officers began spraying the crowd with a chemical irritant, so he decided to press on and enter the building about an hour after other protestors first broke in.
Entrekin further claimed that he did not know he wasn’t allowed in the Capitol building and that people were being pushed and “herded” inside. He said when he saw broken glass and other people looting that he felt he needed to leave the building immediately. However, in the videos he narrated for his mom as well as CCTV footage from the Capitol’s security system, Entrekin can be seen willingly walking into the building and entering the Senate Parliamentarian’s office.
Once inside, he recorded the damage and looting going on. When police began shooting rubber bullets, Entrekin left but can be seen re-entering the Capitol and standing in the northwest plaza a short time later. Additionally, Entrekin can be heard chanting along with the other protestors and making his own comments for the videos.
“This is our house. Wow, Mom. I wish you were here with me. It’s really exciting in here. It’s joyful and it’s sad at the same time. We can’t let Biden … be our president. We can’t… there’s no way,” he said in one video.
Entrekin was, however, seen in multiple videos stating that while he wanted change, he hoped things would happen peacefully.
“I have a hope that we will, that things will work out. God is in control …. And I hope that we do this peacefully. Whatever we do, I hope that it’s peaceful,” he told an interviewer Jan. 6.
Entrekin was arrested July 15 at the home he shares with his mother in Cottonwood and is being charged with two misdemeanors, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct in either chamber of Congress.
He is facing up to one year in prison and is set to make an appearance at the U.S. Magistrate Court in Flagstaff July 27.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE 27-PAGE FBI COMPLAINT
