Former Chapel Hill Business Owner Moves From Smoothies to Sedition

If it isn't one right-wing extremist patrolling Franklin Street, it's another one running an acai bowl restaurant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 32-year-old Julian Khater on Monday, as well as his friend, George Pierre Tanios of Morgantown, West Virginia, for their involvement in the January 6 insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol.

They are charged with conspiring to injure law enforcement officers and assaulting officers, according to the FBI's press release. In a video, Khater sprays three Capitol police officers with a chemical aerosol that temporarily blinded them. One of them was Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who died the day after the attack. While it's uncertain whether or not the spray led to his death, investigators told the Washington Post that it became more of a suspicion in the weeks following the riot.

In the video, Khater is seen reaching into Tanios's backpack while saying, “Give me that bear shit.” While Tanios objects at first, saying that it's “too early,” Khater replies that “they just fucking sprayed me,” presumably referring to law enforcement.

Read more: https://indyweek.com/news/orange/frutta-bowl-julian-khater/


Federal Bureau of Investigation
Julian Khater's image on the FBI's website.