FBI agents arrest Trump associate Roger Stone at his home

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Photo credit Credit: Drew Angerer - Getty Images News - Getty Images North America

Roger Stone, an associate of President Donald Trump, was arrested early Friday morning in Florida.

Special counsel Robert Mueller's office said Stone faces charges including witness tampering, obstruction and false statements. The indictment does not accuse Stone of coordinating with the Russian government's election interference in 2016, the key matter under investigation in Mueller's probe.

But the indictment lays out in detail Stone's conversations about stolen Democratic emails posted by WikiLeaks in the weeks before Trump defeated Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Mueller's office has said those emails, belonging to Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, were hacked by Russian intelligence officers.

Stone is scheduled to make a court appearance later Friday.

He has been under scrutiny for months but has maintained his innocence.

A video of the pre-dawn FBI raid at Roger Stone's house shows agents in combat gear using night-vision equipment and running up to Stone's home and banging repeatedly on the door. On the video, aired on CNN, one agent shouts "FBI open the door! FBI, warrant!"

The arrest scene included about a half-dozen police vehicles, a dozen officers and agents in tactical vests and large weapons. Stone appeared in his doorway in sleepwear, with his glasses on. An agent asked him, "are you Roger Stone?" and he said "yes."

Stone was then led away.