Who is QAnon Shaman?

A reintegration programme has accepted QAnon Shaman or Jacob Chansley, who was sentenced to one of the longest terms ever given to a rioter at the US Capitol after he was released early from federal prison.

Chansley, 35, was found guilty of obstructing an official investigation in November 2021. He was given a 41-month prison term. Chansley, though, has reportedly been transferred to a residential reentry management centre in Phoenix, where he is from, and is scheduled to be released on May 25 according to prison records.

According to Albert Watkins, Chansley was represented by him during his plea and sentencing, and part of the reason for Chansley's early release was due to his good behaviour while he was inside.

"Mr Chansley can now move forward with his life. For that I applaud the BOP," Watkins told NPR in a statement.

According to Watkins, the US Bureau of Prisons allowed the release of Chansley from custody in a way that was consistent with its current protocols, some of which are complex, reported NPR.

What did QAnon Shaman do?

Chansley, also known as QAnon Shaman, gained notoriety for the attack on the Capitol on January 6 after baring his chest and storming in while wearing a fur headpiece with horns. Chansley was one of the first 30 rioters to break inside the government facility, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department claimed that inside, he sat in the chair that then-vice president Mike Pence had occupied an hour earlier and snapped selfies on the Senate floor's dais.

When a police officer asked him to leave, Chansley refused and called Pence a "traitor." He later left a note on the dais that read "It's Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!"

Arrested

A few days later, QAnon Shaman was taken into custody and charged with six offences, two of which were felonies. In the end, he reached an agreement with the government and admitted guilt on one count of obstructing an official proceeding.

"Men of honour admit when they're wrong. Not just publicly but to themselves," Chansley told the court in November 2021. "I was wrong for entering the Capitol. I have no excuse. No excuse whatsoever. The behaviour is indefensible."

Chansley was a vocal supporter of a number of conspiracy theories, including the one which asserted that evil Democratic figures were involved in child-trafficking networks. 

According to Chansley, before becoming an activist, he worked in a group home for troubled youngsters and attended Glendale Community College to study pottery, philosophy, theology, and psychology.