• The FBI arrested a Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate on Thursday morning.
  • New filings from the DOJ show that the candidate, Ryan Kelley, was arrested in connection with the Captiol riot.
  • According to a May poll, Kelley was leading in the GOP gubernatorial race by 4 percentage points.

A leading Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley was arrested Thursday morning by the FBI and accused of participating in the January 6 riots, according to new filings from the Department of Justice. 

Kelley, a real estate broker, was arrested at his home in Allendale in western Michigan, an FBI spokesperson said, adding that agents are searching his home.

The arrest comes months after Kelley was allegedly spotted at the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, The Detroit News reported. 

According to a recently-filed criminal complaint, Kelley was charged with:

  • Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
  • Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
  • Knowingly engage in any act of physical violence against person or property in any restricted building or grounds
  • Willfully injure or commit any depredation against any property of the United States

 

 

 

Kelley's gubernatorial campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the arrest.

In April 2020, Kelley led a protest at Michigan's capitol building in Lansing, where crowds depicted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as Adolf Hitler for issuing a stay-at-home order amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and chanted "lock her up," ultimately leading to an armed crowd storming the legislative building.

According to a May poll from Target Insyght and Michigan Information and Research Service, Kelley is the leading GOP candidate for governor in Michigan, holding a 4 percentage point lead over his opponents.

Prior to the poll, several of the top Republican gubernatorial candidates were removed from the ballot after submitting forged signatures in their filing paperwork.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.

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