Man who fifired gun in pizzeria to face federal charges

Edgar Welch read about a conspiracy theory online.

WASHINGTON — A man who stormed into a pizza restaurant in the nation’s capital and fifired an assault weapon as he tried to “self-investigate” an internet conspiracy theory sought to recruit others in what he called a raid that could involve killing people, court documents released Tuesday say.

Prosecutors announced Tuesday that Edgar Madison Welch now faces a federal charge of interstate transportation of a fifirearm with intent to commit a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and potential fifinancial penalties.

At a brief hearing Tuesday morning, prosecutors dismissed local charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and other weapons offffffffffffenses.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Offiffice for the District of Columbia declined to comment, citing the pending investigation.

Welch, 28, of Salisbury, North Carolina, has been in jail since the Dec. 4 shooting at Comet Ping Pong, which has been targeted by purveyors and consumers of fake news who spread false rumors that it’s the site of a child sex traffifficking ring run by prominent Democrats.

Welch told police “he had read online that the Comet restaurant was harboring child sex slaves and that he wanted to see for himself if they were there,” and that “he was armed to help rescue them,” according to previously released court documents.

A federal court document made public Tuesday says e v i de nc e o b t a i ned f ro m Welch’s cellphone shows he “had been contemplating a violent confrontation at the restaurant since at least” Dec. 1.

T h e d o c u ment d e t a i l s a series of text messages Welch exchanged with two unnamed friends. He asked one friend if his Army buddy mi g h t b e “d own f o r t h e cause?” which he described as “Raiding a pedo ring, possibly sacrafic ing (sic) the lives of a few for the lives of many,” and standing up against “a corrupt system that kidnaps, tortures and rapes babies and children in our own backyard.”

The document suggests the three friends met, but doesn’t say anything about them joining Welch for his trip to Washington.

One friend texted encouragement as Welch drove.

The document also says Welch recorded a video on his phone on the day of the shooting, telling his family members that he loved them and expressing hopes that he would be able to tell them that again.