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Man holding Confederate flag in Capitol during pro-Trump riot turns himself in

Kevin Seefried and his son surrendered to authorities after the FBI had circulated a photo and asked for tips.
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A man who was seen in the Capitol holding a Confederate flag during last week’s riot by supporters of President Donald Trump turned himself in to authorities on Thursday.

Kevin Seefried and his son Hunter surrendered to the U.S. Marshals' office Thursday morning in Wilmington, Delaware, the FBI confirmed to NBC News.

The FBI had circulated a photo of Kevin Seefried carrying the flag amid the pro-Tump mob on Jan. 6 and received a tip after Hunter Seefried had "bragged" about being at the Capitol last week with his father, according to court documents.

Both men are set to have a virtual appearance in front of a federal judge either Thursday or Friday, the FBI said. NBC News was unable to contact the Seefrieds through a phone number listed on public records.

The Seefrieds face one count each of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and depredation of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Kevin Seefried admitted to investigators in a voluntary interview that he had brought the Confederate flag from his home in Delaware, where it is usually displayed outside, according to charging documents.

Investigators allege that video evidence showed Hunter Seefried punched out broken glass in a window to get access the Capitol. Kevin Seefried told investigators that one of the rioters asked his son to help clear the window because he was wearing gloves, the document said.

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The sight of the Confederate flag in the halls of the Congress raised particular alarm for citizens and lawmakers because of its affiliation with secession, civil war and slavery.

When the Senate reconvened last week after the attack to certify President-Elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., equated the mob with the Confederacy that tried to break apart the United States.

“Our democracy is wounded, and I saw it when I saw pictures of yet another insurgency of a flag of another group that tried to challenge our nation," Booker said. "I saw the flag of the Confederacy there. What will we do? How will we confront this shame? How will we confront this dark second time in American history?"

Booker is one of three Black senators in Congress.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also condemned the flag’s appearance in the Capitol, noting that it had not even entered the building during the Civil War. The congresswoman on Wednesday posted an Instagram video detailing her experience during the Capitol riot, calling it the “tragedy of white supremacy” that some would rather watch the country burn than have equality for all.

“We’ll never go back, I’ll tell you that right now,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We will never go back. The only way forward is a multiracial democracy that fights for the economic rights of all people and the civil rights of all people. Period.”

Federal authorities have charged several people seen in videos and photos posted to social media during the Capitol riot, including two men who were seen with plastic zip tie-style restraints and a man who was photographed putting his feet on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk.

The FBI has a dedicated website with photos of people they are seeking information about and a form to submit tips.