Department of Justice

Accused Capitol Rioter Grew Hitler 'Stache Before Siege ... Prosecutors Allege

One of the alleged Capitol rioters was apparently a big fan of Hitler, or at least Hitler's facial hair ... so claim prosecutors, who say he grew a 'stache in the guy's image.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli is a former U.S. Army reservist and Naval contractor who reportedly had security clearance not too long ago at a military base in New Jersey.

In a legal filing opposing his release pending trial, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say they conducted interviews with Hale-Cusanelli's colleagues ... with many saying he fashioned a short mustache like Adolf's, and mimicked his 'do too.

There's a selfie of Hale-Cusanelli prosecutors offered up as well -- and yeah, it sure looks pretty Nazi-like.

There's more though ... the government says Hale-Cusanelli would go around asking guys on the base if they were Jewish, and allegedly said things like "Hitler should have finished the job" and other nasty comments about Jewish people, like wanting to eat them (Jews) for breakfast, lunch and dinner ... and using salt from their tears as seasoning.

He wants to be released as he awaits trial -- where he's slated to face a slew of charges for crimes in a Capitol building -- but the feds are pushing back ... arguing he's a risk to the community and pointing to him allegedly spewing Nazi ideology leading up to Jan. 6.

The feds acknowledge Hale-Cusanelli being an alleged racist/anti-Semite in and of itself doesn't warrant his detainment, but do say his extreme ideology led to his actions -- and does make him dangerous to the community.

For his part, Cusanelli's attorney insisted there's no evidence his client actually belongs to any white supremacist groups ... and deserves to be released pending his trial.

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