Report: Vet Accused in FBI Attack Has QAnon Links

The Navy veteran accused of ramming the gate of the FBI field office in Atlanta on Monday is a supporter of former President Trump who promoted conspiracy theories related to QAnon and the 2020 presidential election on social media, according to a report. Ervin Lee Bolling, facing a state charge of interference with government property and a federal charge of destroying government property, was a member of several public Telegram groups related to QAnon, boosted QAnon content on other sites, shared anti-vaccine memes, and backed claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, according to a review of accounts by nonprofit group Advance Democracy. The nonprofit uncovered accounts believed to be associated with Bolling on Telegram, Facebook, X, and the Cash App, reports Wired.

On X, he reportedly wrote "I love you" to Trump in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, in response to false claims that Democrats rigged the election, per NBC News. Also in December 2020, an account believed to be linked to Bolling wrote, "Wonder what it will take for people to wake up. I'm awake. Just looking for a good militia to join," per Wired. "This individual's suspected social media activity is part of a trend: Trump supporters espousing anti-government rhetoric and conspiracy theories—often echoing Trump's own statements—that decide to take violent action against public officials," Advance Democracy President Daniel J. Jones tells NBC, adding "our elected officials, especially Republican elected officials, need to speak out."

The FBI has not provided a motive for Bolling's alleged actions. The 48-year-old from Easley, South Carolina, allegedly tried to follow an FBI employee vehicle into a secure parking lot, was blocked, then crashed his SUV into a gate. In a sworn affidavit, FBI agent Matthew Upshaw claimed Bolling, a former Navy submarine technician who worked as an insurance broker, exited the vehicle and tried to enter FBI headquarters, repeatedly resisting arrest. Previously, he participated in a class-action lawsuit against 3M company over its combat arms earplugs, alleged to have been defective and caused hearing loss, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (Another alleged Trump supporter attacked the FBI field office in Ohio in 2022.)