Family tips off FBI to Capitol rioter who smashed windows where Ashli Babbitt was shot

A man who was filmed smashing windows in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, at the spot where Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot, was arrested Saturday after a family member tipped off the FBI, federal prosecutors said.

Zachary Jordan Alam was arrested in Pennsylvania and faces charges of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon, destruction of government property, unlawful entry in a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct, a federal criminal complaint said.

In photos and videos cited by the affidavit, an FBI officer said Alam was seen breaching Capitol grounds “wearing a dark colored jacket, a black and tan fur-lined hat, and a black shirt with a yellow and red label on the front.”

Video footage showed Alam — with his mask pulled down — pushing past security personnel and screaming “F--- the blue!” before reaching the doors of the Speaker’s Lobby, which leads to the House Chamber, the affidavit said.

There, Alam grabbed a black helmet from another rioter and used it to smash the glass panes, shattering the windows, according to the document. Shortly after, Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt tried to climb through the shattered glass and was fatally shot by a Capitol police officer, the affidavit said.

Alam was arrested after an anonymous family member contacted the FBI National Threat Operations Center on Jan. 14, the court document said.

Court records did not say whether he had retained a lawyer. Efforts to reach Alam by phone at numbers listed for his home were unsuccessful.

Alam was the latest in a handful of pro-Trump rioters whose family members and ex-romantic partners have turned into authorities for their alleged participation in the Capitol incursion.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Brock was arrested on Jan. 10 after his former wife of 18 years contacted the FBI National Threat Operations Center saying she recognized him in video.

Accused rioter Guy Reffitt, an apparent member of a Texas militia group, was arrested and accused of threatening his adult children if they "crossed the line and reported" him to authorities, according to a criminal complaint. His son Jackson Reffitt had apparently made the call before his father allegedly threatened his family, the affidavit said.

Dozens of other people have been arrested or charged after the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in a riot that led to the death of five people, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.