FBI charges 2 New Jersey natives in assault on Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick

Two New Jersey natives have been arrested and accused of assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the riot at the Capitol in Washington.

News 12 Staff

Mar 16, 2021, 1:53 PM

Updated 1,363 days ago

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Two New Jersey natives have been arrested and accused of assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the riot at the Capitol in Washington.
Sicknick was from Middlesex County, and News 12 New Jersey has learned that so are the two men facing charges.
Court documents show that George Tanios and Julian Khater are both from New Brunswick. They are accused of using a chemical spray on police officers during the Jan. 6 riot. Sicknick later died. The men are not charged with his death.
The FBI released images allegedly showing Tanios and Khater speaking with one another on the day of the riot. Khater is allegedly seen reaching into Tanios’s backpack for the spray. The FBI claims that a video shows the exchange.
Khater allegedly is heard saying, “Give me that bear [expletive].”
Tanios is allegedly heard saying, “Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet…it’s still early.” To which Khater allegedly replies, “They just [expletive] sprayed me.”
A photo shows an officer spraying Khater as rioters allegedly threatened a barrier.
The FBI says that Khater and Tanios were working together, although it is unclear how they know each other. The FBI found Tanios on social media.
Tanios, the self-described “Sandwich Nazi,” launched a business in West Virginia that is modeled after the famous fat sandwiches at Rutgers University.
Khater's LinkedIn profile shows he lived in Somerset and worked around New Jersey as a bartender and even a sales consultant. He was arrested coming off a plane to Newark Liberty International Airport. He has worked in restaurants and sales around New Jersey.
Both men face years in prison if they are convicted of the charges.
Sicknick’s cause of death has not yet been released. An autopsy is still under wraps.