A man accused of attacking the police at the Riotul Capitolului buried the police badge in the backyard

A New York man arrested Friday for attacking a DC metropolitan police officer during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol told the FBI that he buried the officer’s badge in his backyard after returning home.

Thomas Sibick was arrested Friday in Buffalo, New York, according to court records. Sibick faces five charges, including obstructing law enforcement during civil unrest, assaulting or obstructing officers, and taking something of value by force or intimidation.

Sibick was caught on video attacking MPD officer Mike Fanone, who was assassinated and assaulted by insurgents, who dragged him into the crowd while trying to enter the Capitol. HuffPost previously reported the identity of a man in a MAGA hat seen using a taser on Fanone during the attack.

MPD previously told HuffPost that there were no arrests in the attack on Fanone, and Sibick’s arrest appears to be the first.

Fanone’s camera images show that the radio and police badge were snatched from her waistcoat by Sibick, according to the statement. After the riot, Sibick posted pictures of himself holding a U.S. Capitol Police Shield and trying to enter the building with the crowd.

FBI agents first interviewed Sibick on January 27, and he admitted that he was in DC on the day of the Chapter insurrection. He told officers he heard someone say “receive [Fanone’s] shoot and kill him “, but he claimed that he was trying to help the officer. In early February, Sibick again denied involvement in the assault. But by the end of February, he said he had to “withdraw” his previous statement and acknowledged that he had taken the officer’s badge and radio. He said he threw them in a trash can in DC, but later called an agent and claimed he “wants to do the right thing.”

Sibick, according to the FBI statement, said that “he buried the badge in his backyard”, bought a metal detector to find it, dug it up and wanted to return it.

“Later that evening, SIBICK met the agent and gave him a bag containing mud and the MF officer’s badge,” the statement said.