Belarus

Evan Neumann, wanted by the FBI on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot in Washington, has been granted asylum in Belarus, officials told state media.

Neumann is the son of late Santa Rosa hotelier Claus Neumann, and in the days after the riots, an anonymous tipster claiming to be a family friend gave Neumann’s name and home address to federal authorities. Neumann, who has had several businesses, including a handbag one, was then allowed to leave the country. Around 2 p.m, according to the government, Neumann used the barricade as a battering ram, lifting it off the ground and rushing toward the officers. Neumann, who spent time in Eastern Europe and reportedly supported the pro-democratic Orange Revolution, also sported a gas mask, according to the government. But by then, according to the FBI, he was already in Belarus, a former Soviet republic and current staging ground for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On Feb. 16, 2021, FBI agents staked out Neumann’s house in Mill Valley and then followed him to the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport, where they interviewed him.

Evan Neumann, accused of hitting police with metal barricade, tells Belarusian state TV he has 'mixed feelings' about the move.

Evan Neumann, 49, was charged a year ago with assaulting police, including using a metal barricade as a battering ram during the riot last year. Court documents state Neumann stood at the front of a police barricade wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat in support of Donald Trump. “Today I have mixed feelings,” Neumann told the state-owned television network BelTA in the report aired on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported.

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The man, Evan Neumann, faces several charges, including that he assaulted police officers when he participated in the riot.

It is a political persecution, not a criminal investigation, but political persecution,” Neumann said of the charges in the TV interview. Neumann was wanted on six criminal charges, according to a filing with the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., in March 2021. “One of the charges was particularly insulting, namely that I hit a police officer. I am upset because I found myself in such a situation that there were problems in my native country." Neumann said in an interview with the news agency, "I feel safe in Belarus. Calm. I like the country. "He explained that he noticed surveillance there, began to fear for his life and health.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former San Francisco Bay Area resident facing federal criminal charges from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has been grante...

Evan Neumann, 49, was charged a year ago with assaulting police, including using a metal barricade as a battering ram during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Court documents state Neumann stood at the front of a police barricade wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat in support of then-President Donald Trump. “Today I have mixed feelings,” Neumann told state-owned television network BelTA in the report aired Tuesday, the Washington Post reported. Neumann told Belarus 1 that he traveled to Italy in March 2021 and eventually arrived in Ukraine before crossing over illegally into Belarus. He owns a handbag manufacturing business. I am upset to find myself in a situation where I have problems in my own country.” SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former San Francisco Bay Area resident facing federal criminal charges from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has been granted asylum in Belarus, the former Soviet nation’s state media reported Tuesday.