Chuck Norris, the Hollywood actor, martial arts legend and occasional meme, has publicly denied being at last week’s Capitol riot after images circulated online showing a man with a remarkable resemblance.

“It wasn’t me and I wasn’t there. There is no room for violence of any kind in our society. I am and always will be for Law and Order,” tweeted the actor, taking a stance his law-enforcing character in Walker, Texas Ranger, might have been proud of.

Norris’s manager, Erik Kritzer, backed him up, telling the Associated Press on Tuesday that the star – known for his conservatism – was not present at last week’s unrest in which five people died.

“Chuck remains on his range in Texas where he has been with his family,” Kritzer said. He acknowledged that the man photographed looked somewhat like Norris but added: “Chuck is much more handsome.”

The confusion arose earlier this week when a selfie of a man with Norris’s face shape and close-cut beard began trending online.

Norris, who backed Donald Trump in 2016, has previously raised the alarm about plots to seize power, claiming in 2015 that the federal government was aiming to take over Texas.

He feared a military training exercise named Jade Helm 15 could turn into a full-scale occupation of his home state and urged governor Greg Abbott and US senator Ted Cruz to investigate.

Norris played karate-kicking lawman Cordell Walker in Walker, Texas Ranger, which ran on CBS from 1993 to 2001.

With Associated Press