According to a published report by Blabbermouth.net and German newspaper Die Welt, Iced Earth mastermind and Demons and Wizards leader Jon Schaffer was among the protesters who breached the U.S. Capitol earlier today (Wednesday, January 6) as lawmakers counted the Electoral College votes certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Photographs of Jon circulated on NBC News, causing wild speculation online in the media and among fans on Reddit, before being confirmed.
Schaffer was seen with a group of demonstrators who entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election electoral vote certification. The photo, which was taken by Roberto Schmidt of AFP, can be found on the Getty Images website. The same Schaffer picture was used as the lead photo for two separate high-profile mainstream news articles earlier today: NBC News and The Daily Beast. Schaffer who claims to be neither Republican nor Democrat has never been shy about his strong feelings on politics. According to law passed by executive order by President Donald Trump in June protecting federal monuments and all federal buildings from damage by protesters, Schaffer may face up to 10 years in prison if arrested for his acts. Trump repeated the threat of imprisonment yesterday.