The two men indicted Monday are suspected of having used "bear spray" against a Capitol policeman who died after the violent assault on January 6 in the United States.
As the exact causes of his death remain unknown, they are not prosecuted for homicide.
US authorities on Monday indicted two men accused of spraying a Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick with a chemical, whose death after the violent assault on January 6 remains unexplained.
Julian Khater, 32, and George Tanios, 39, were arrested on Sunday and face nine charges, including "assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon," according to a Justice Department statement .
They are not prosecuted for homicide.
Suspected of having used "bear spray"
The two men are believed to have used "bear spray", a powerful aerosol used in the wild areas of the United States to repel these large mammals, during the attack on the seat of the American democracy.
In a video, cited in the indictment, Khater asks Tanios to pass "that bear thing" to him, before removing a spray can from the latter's backpack.
A little later, it projects its contents into the faces of three agents, including that of Brian Sicknick.
The policeman, 42, died in hospital the next day.
In a statement released that day, police said he "was injured in a confrontation with protesters" and "collapsed upon arriving at his team's offices."
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His tragic fate had moved many Americans, shocked by the capture of Congress by pro-Trump activists.
His body had been exhibited on Capitol Hill, an exceptional honor, and Joe Biden had paid tribute to him on the spot.
The causes of his death still unknown
Anonymous sources, quoted by the
New York Times
, had first assured that he had been beaten with a fire extinguisher, a version of the facts since dismissed.
As no autopsy report has been published, the causes of his death remain unknown.
Several elected officials, especially in the Democratic ranks, consider him a victim of the assault led by supporters of Donald Trump against the seat of Congress, when his elected officials certified the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election.
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