Law enforcement arrested a Proud Boys figurehead in Miami in a pre-dawn raid on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill.
A grand jury indicted Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, former national chairman of the Proud Boys, on charges of conspiring with others to obstruct Congress in the buildup to the riot, despite his absence from the Jan. 6 riot. He made his initial court appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Tuesday.
“Although Tarrio is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during their breach of the Capitol,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.”
JURY FINDS JAN. 6 RIOTER GUY REFFITT GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS
The charges against Tarrio, 38, include one count each of conspiracy to obstruct a proceeding and obstruction of a proceeding and two counts each of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, and destruction of government property, the press release said.
Tarrio was charged along with five other previously charged defendants, all of whom pleaded not guilty, according to the DOJ. The defendants include Ethan Nordean, 31, Joseph Biggs, 38, Zachary Rehl, 36, Charles Donohoe, 34, and Dominic Pezzola, 44.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, which are prosecuting the case, appear to want a pretrial detention for Tarrio. The hearing on that will take place Friday, Politico reported.
Just two days before the riot, Tarrio was arrested by Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department for burning a Black Lives Matter flag that was hanging from a church, NPR reported. He was charged with destruction of property and possession of a high-capacity feeding device and ordered to stay out of the city. Tarrio pleaded guilty to those charges last July and was sentenced to five months in prison.
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The Proud Boys describes itself as an “organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world,” per the DOJ. The group gained attention during the 2020 election for its clashes with antifa and even came up during a presidential debate. The group has faced scrutiny for its involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, and Tarrio is one of the most high-profile figures to be indicted in relation to the Jan.6 riot, along with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
Officers have arrested and charged over 775 people from nearly all 50 states for the Jan. 6 riot, according to the DOJ.
