Since the storming of the Capitol, the identity of "Skelleftemann" and why he wore a scarf with the municipality's logo has remained a mystery. That was until a few days ago when The Hollywood Reporter was able to reveal the identity of the person known as the "Swedish Scarf" in the American media.
In Sweden he is called "Skelleftemann", but his real name is Paul Belosic, and he is 49 years old. Belosic was born and raised in Los Angeles, where he has lived most of his life and pursued an acting career. In 2004, he had a small role in the indie film "Radius," and in 2011, he played an uncredited cinematographer in the Oscar-winning film "The Artist." He has also appeared as an extra in several music videos.
However, Paul Belosic's acting career never really took off, and instead of working with the stars, he worked for them in various service jobs, something he doesn't like to talk about.
A friend of Paul Belosic told The Hollywood Reporter that Belosic was always rebellious and skeptical of authority. Politically, he was a staunch Democrat who disliked George W. Bush (Republican), but something happened to his political views over the years. He is said to have told a friend that he realized his views had begun to diverge from those of his friends and that he would lose many of them if he spoke his mind.
During the 2016 presidential election, according to The Hollywood Reporter, he began talking about far-right conspiracy theories, but it was not until 2020 that his friends realized he actually believed them. Using the pseudonym Jeff, he began attending meetings with other far-right individuals who shared his worldview. On January 6, 2021, he traveled to Washington DC with some of this group. He has previously protested US COVID-19 restrictions and, according to sources, publicly praised Sweden's coronavirus strategy.
In the fall of 2020, incumbent President Donald Trump (Rep) lost the election to Joe Biden (Dem). Trump falsely accused the Democrats of election fraud, and in a speech on January 6, 2021, he called for a continued fight.
Paul Belosic and other Trump supporters, mistakenly convinced that the Democrats had stolen the election from Trump, made their way to the Capitol. Belosic is said to have stood on the steps of the building and shouted, "Freedom or death, gentlemen!", "Don't give up! Fight for Trump!" and "Forward, patriots! If you're going to die, let it be on Capitol Hill," before entering the west wing of the Capitol through a broken window.
Once inside, he led a group of rioters in kicking down a door to a meeting room, which he searched before leaving the Capitol with a gas mask as a souvenir.
The Skellefteå scarf was left behind in the debris at the Capitol.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Belosic visited Sweden in 2018, but how he got the Skellefteå scarf is still unclear.
The scarf Belosic wore during the storming of the Capitol came from the municipality of Skellefteå. When Norran spoke to the municipality's marketing manager at the time, Helena Renström, she told them that the scarf was sent as a Christmas gift to about 1,000 emigrated Skellefteå residents in 2017. According to Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, only one person in the US received a Christmas gift from the municipality that year, but that person says she received a pair of socks.
In late 2021, the FBI identified and charged Paul Belosic. He now faces a lengthy prison sentence, but is still at large, and after January 19, 2021, there are no official details about where he might be.
Name publishing
"Skelleftemann" became known worldwide in connection with the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. What makes Belosic's identity of great interest to Norran's readers is, of course, the Skellefteå scarf that he wore during the storming. We believe that the information we are releasing about his identity has high credibility, and the relevance of a name publication in this case is significant.
Malin Christoffersson, responsible publisher, Norran