In the aftermath of Wednesday's attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, photos of the rioters inside the federal building started circulating on social media, from a shirtless man wearing a horned helmet to another carrying Nancy Pelosi's podium.
Who is 'Zip-Tie Guy'?
Among these viral images was one of a man in head-to-toe paramilitary gear coursing through the upper level of the U.S. Senate Chamber carrying five pairs of zip ties, the plastic restraints often used by law enforcement.
The individual was one of two men who were photographed carrying the plastic handcuffs inside the federal building, leading to speculation that they were planning to take hostages, perhaps Congressional leaders, against their will.
With his identity unknown and the only piece of information being a "thin blue line" patch in the shape of Tennessee on his uniform, FBI special agent Douglas Korneski, who co-ordinates counter-terrorism efforts in Tennessee said that the agency was working to identify the man.
Spotted with Woman Before Capitol Attack
However, it seems like the FBI has its work cut out for them as internet sleuths have managed to track down the man as a bartender from Nashville, Tennessee.
In the wake of Wednesday's events at the US Capitol, Twitter users combed through photos and videos taken before the breach and found a photo of the "zip-tie guy" accompanied by a woman (who appears to be his mother) as he made his way up the stairs to the rotunda of the federal building.
Users also found video footage of the man and the woman in a hotel lobby before the U.S. Capitol attack.
Identified as Eric Munchel
Now, knowing what he looked behind the balaclava and baseball hat like social media detectives investigated further and found that the zip-tie guy attended some protests in the Nashville area wearing the same tactical gear.
It did not take long for netizens to eventually figure out that the "zip-tie guy" was actually a Nashville-based bartender named Eric Munchel.
A photo on his Facebook profile also shows the Black Rifle Coffee Co. hat he wore to the Capitol and a now-deleted Facebook Live video shows him marching towards the building on Wednesday.
Munchel's information has since been reported to the FBI but it is not yet known if he has been arrested yet.
