The names of 31 people tied to a white supremacist group, who were arrested on Saturday near a local pride event in Idaho, have been identified by police.
Among those charged with conspiracy to riot after allegedly being found inside a U-Haul van near the event wearing riot gear in Coeur d’Alene includes Thomas Rousseau of Grapevine, Texas, who has been identified as the founder of the Patriot Front, which formed after the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, as reported by KXLY.
THIRTY-ONE MEMBERS OF PATRIOT FRONT ARRESTED NEAR PRIDE EVENT IN IDAHO: POLICE
Others arrested came from at least 11 states, including Washington, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas. All 31 arrested in connection to the incident have since posted bail, which was set at $300 per person.
“It’s disheartening to read that people think this was antifa in disguise or a false-flag FBI operation,” said Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White at a press conference Monday, as reported by Daily Inter Lake. “That is absolutely false. These people belong to the Patriot Front.”
Booking images provided by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office show the 31 individuals, listed by the Associated Press as follows: “Top row, from left, are Jared Boyce, Nathan Brenner, Colton Brown, Josiah Buster, Mishael Buster, Devin Center, Dylan Corio, and Winston Durham. Second row, from left, are Garret Garland, Branden Haney, Richard Jessop, James Julius Johnson, James Michael Johnson, Connor Moran, Kieran Morris and Lawrence Norman. Third row, from left, are Justin O’leary, Cameron Pruitt, Forrest Rankin, Thomas Rousseau, Conor Ryan, Spencer Simpson, Alexander Sisenstein and Derek Smith. Bottom row, from left, are Dakota Tabler, Steven Tucker, Wesley Van Horn, Mitchell Wagner, Nathaniel Whitfield, Graham Whitsom and Robert Whitted.”
The sheriff’s office was flooded with 149 calls on Monday, over half of which have criticized the arrests, according to KXLY. One call was made from as far away as Norway.
Police were first alerted about the U-Haul at about 1:38 p.m. on Saturday, who reported seeing a group get into the back of the truck. The person who sent in the tip has not been identified by police, which cited safety concerns.
The group was confronted by police approximately 10 minutes after the tip was made and were later arrested and charged with the misdemeanor.
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The Patriot Front is a white supremacist group in which its members believe that “their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them alone,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
