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FORMER PROUD BOYS leader Enrique Tarrio has been convicted of orchestrating a plot for members of his far-right extremist group to attack the US Capitol in a bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election.
A jury in Washington DC found Tarrio guilty of seditious conspiracy after hearing from dozens of witnesses over more than three months in one of the most serious cases brought in the stunning attack that unfolded on 6 January 2021, as the world watched on live TV.
It is a significant milestone for the Justice Department, which has now secured seditious conspiracy convictions against the leaders of two major extremist groups that prosecutors said were intent on keeping Democrat Joe Biden out of the White House at all costs. The charge carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Tarrio was a top target of what has become the largest Justice Department investigation in American history. He led the neo-fascist group – known for street fights with left-wing activists – when Trump infamously told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” during his first debate with Biden.
Tarrio was not in Washington on 6 January because he had been arrested two days earlier in a separate case and ordered out of the capital city. But prosecutors said he organised and directed the attack by Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol that day.
Prosecutors told jurors the group viewed itself as Trump’s army and was prepared for “all-out war” to stop Biden from becoming president.
The Proud Boys were “lined up behind Donald Trump and willing to commit violence on his behalf”, prosecutor Conor Mulroe said in his closing argument.
The backbone of the government’s case was hundreds of messages exchanged by Proud Boys in the days leading up to 6 January that show the far-right extremist group peddling Trump’s false claims of a stolen election and trading fears over what would happen when Biden took office.
As Proud Boys swarmed the Capitol, Tarrio cheered them on from afar, writing on social media: “Do what must be done.”
In a Proud Boys encrypted group chat later that day, someone asked what they should do next. Tarrio responded: “Do it again.”
“Make no mistake,” Tarrio wrote in another message. “We did this.”
Defence lawyers denied there was any plot to attack the Capitol or stop Congress’ certification of Biden’s win. A lawyer for Tarrio sought to push the blame onto Trump, arguing the former president incited the pro-Trump mob’s attack when he urged the crowd near the White House to “fight like hell”.
“It was Donald Trump’s words. It was his motivation. It was his anger that caused what occurred on 6 January in your beautiful and amazing city,” attorney Nayib Hassan said in his final appeal to jurors.
“It was not Enrique Tarrio. They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald J Trump and those in power.”
In addition to Tarrio, a Miami resident, three other Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl.
Jurors have not yet reached a unanimous verdict on the sedition charge for fifth defendant: Dominic Pezzola. The judge told them to keep deliberating.
Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, was a Proud Boys chapter leader. Rehl led a group chapter in Philadelphia. Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, was a self-described Proud Boys organiser. Pezzola was a group member from Rochester, New York.
The Justice Department had not tried a seditious conspiracy case in a decade before a jury convicted another extremist group leader, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, of the Civil War-era charge last year.
Over the course of two Oath Keepers trials, Rhodes and five other members were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was a separate plot to forcibly halt the transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden.
Three defendants were acquitted of the sedition charge, but convicted of obstructing Congress’ certification of Biden’s electoral victory.
The Justice Department has yet to disclose how much prison time it will seek when the Oath Keepers are sentenced next month.
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members of the religion of peace I suppose
Islam = Death cult. End of story!
Unfortunately you can’t tar them all with the same brush, the same way you can’t call every catholic a child abusing rapist, bad eggs everywhere.
#imgettingsoft
I never see moderate Muslims giving out when extremists kill in the name of their religion but someone draws a cartoon of Mohammed and then they give out therefore I do tar them all with the same brush
yes they do sean you are just wilfully blind,look at waht the jewish faith is doing in palestine,look at what chrisitians are doing in C.A.R and what evangelicals have done to the middle east in general,look at what the catholic church has doen to us,its not anyone religon,it is all religion and more to the point HUMANITY so take your ignorant head out of your arse and see the world for what it is and no i am not an apologist for islam,this people disgust me too,
Sean how many Muslims do you know
#imguessingnone
what the Jewish are doing to the Palestinians? what so they’re supposed to do nothing when rockets are fired into Israel on a daily basis I see all religion as bad but Islam is by far the worst threat to this planet
one question sean,why are the jewish people even the in the first place ??? are they from there ??
i will tell you why and i will tell exactly why they claim they own the land
BECAUSE GOD SAID SO what do you think of that ???? do you think we can take land based on a book from thousands of years ago ?? and do you not consider that religious extremism ?? answer them questions for me please
maybe you can call it religious extremism but I don’t see Jews coming here or to Britain or America or Canada or France or Sweden and so on to try and impose their laws and culture on people that is what Muslims are doing now and the sooner people wake up to this the better it is too late for the countries I just listed Muslims take the Koran literally word for word it’s in that book kill infidels kill non believers and it’s also in that book to seek world domination and it’s happening now that is what I call religious extremism
The shock of it, going to other countries with a religious book telling other people how to live their lives how dare they. In my book if people want to believe in fairy tails and mysterious people that lived long ago, knock yourself out lads.
#ibelieveinaliens
Hahaha that’s a new one Palestinians are shooting rockets in Israel, I wish you had finished your education first then did a bit research rather than making the sh*t up!!! It’s like you saying British were doing right by taking over ireland with the help of every lil bullet? For your info and first lesson Israelis were getting killed and had no where to live in the world but Palestinians welcomed them with wide arms but they took over their own country and started wiping Palestinians identify out. Now the 2nd lesson is Palestinians barely have any weapons never mind rockets lol and at last Palestinians are minority in their own home land… I don’t know what you really have to say about Britain doing it to the Irish back in the days yet irish were called “terrorists”… Anyway mate no religion tells you to kill in the name of peace try not to be brain washed by media do some research before making false assumptions/accusations!!! We have @ss hol*s in every single religion but you lot show your family background by bringing ISLAM religion in their bad doings! Should it not be the same for Catholics, Hindus, Jewish, e.t.c! Try get to know the religion fully before believing the media or ass holes in that religion who give bad names to their religion… Sorry if It’s being personal for ya peace out!
I have done my research and I know what I’m talking about you obviously didn’t hear about Palestinians firing rocket propelled grenades into school yards in Israel yes they do kill in the name of Allah it’s written in the Koran many times any time they kill what do you hear them shout Allah u akbar (God is great)
Mate listen I wouldn’t argue with some one with no knowledge about such incidents or some one who watches telly and believe what media make them to believe, but please provide me with some reference about Quran saying “to kill in the name of Allah”???
are you taking the piss have you not read the Koran
I have read Quran being a Muslim but I’m asking you which Quran have you read about Muslims kill in the name of Allah seriously mate don’t talk about it without any legit reference simple is and end off.
ha exactly the only people who defend Muslims are Muslims people who know nothing about Islam or people afraid to speak out about Islam
Still waiting for the references Mr Sullivan???
I know many Muslims and have no problem defending them. As I said previously you are taring all of them with the same brush as you have been brain washed in such a way by our media, the Catholic Church have committed so many crimes of rape abuse and murder but you seem to only have a problem with Muslims, did a Muslim girl break your heart. There is a lot more to your anger towards them then you are letting on. everybody is free to follow their own spiritual path. maybe if the western world stopped invading Islamic country’s to rape them of there natural resources they might not be so angry.
#FYIIamagnostic
Hahaha raja he first has to find one and then learn how to read it and then read it, it could be a while before he realises he is taking threw his hole
#idiot
That’s it mate spot on!
I am not brainwashed I am an atheist I regard all religion as damaging but the worst by far is Islam nobody can deny that when 911 happened the Muslim world celebrated when recently 3 Israelis were kidnapped the Muslim world celebrated when someone insults Muslims or their religion bloodshed follows is that a religion of peace and tolerance I don’t think so
HahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahahaha 911 now???? Seriously lol
Sean you are very entertaining ill give you that…. still waiting for references can you at least give us that much?
#maybeyoudonthaveany
you know what I mean raja
references have been posted long ago
Not a single day goes by…
I’d jump the gun and put humanity on the endangered species list. When all this reaches an endgame the result won’t be pretty.
This is a load of Shiite
wrong pun completely sunni boy
Jesus came years before prophet Mohammed. The argument is was he the final messenger from god ?
the jews still are waiting.
christians have Jesus…..praise Jesus
Muslims have the prophet Mohammed, alayha as salam ( praise be upon him )
The koran nor the bible Do Not teach hate. Popes of past, rules and kings do.
sometimes as humans we let ourselves down badly. My sympathies to the so far innocent lady shot and later died.
And ultimately its all a load of complete and utter nonsense #Yolo#I dont know how hashtags work or what they are for
About time I see Some one intelligent around here Very well said and real talk mate!
Security checks can’t be very high at these airports. That’s really scary.
The shots were fired from outside the airport.
Think of the security checks at these airports then think of how many Pakistani nationals are arriving into Dublin daily.
just after posting my last comment I read on another news site a 3 year old Palestinian girl dies after being hit by a rocket fired from Palestine into Israel
Quran says that all those who disbelieve in Islam go to hell (5:10), they are najis (filthy, untouchable, impure) (9:28), and orders us to fight the unbelievers until no other religion except Islam is left (2:193). It prohibits a Muslim to befriend a non-believer even if that non-believer is the father or the brother of that Muslim (9:23), (3:28).
Quran tells us to: “not to make friends with Jews and Christians” (5:51), fight them “until they pay the Jizya (a penalty tax for the non-Muslims living under Islamic rules) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued” ( 9:29). “kill the disbelievers wherever we find them” (2:191), “murder them and treat them harshly” (9:123), “fight and slay the Pagans, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem” ( 9:5).
and the religion of peace strikes again in Nigeria let’s see the Muslim world take to the streets in anger let’s all wait patiently
honestly I do have my passport it’s here somewhere. …ohhh please dont shoot me
..feck I wished I could pack my passport in an easily accisble place.
( the post is an attempt to highlight the hideous violence that is again becoming all too common in airports and as we fly all over the world, they are our airports , they are our problem) just preempting ill thought out comments about me trivialising the whole thing.
and I didn’t say Palestinians are firing rockets in Israel I said into Israel
The holy Prophet prescribes fighting for us and tells us that “it is good for us even if we dislike it” (2:216). Then he advises us to “strike off the heads of the disbelievers”; and after making a “wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives” (47:4). Our God has promised to “instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers” and has ordered us to “smite above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them” (8:12). and “to strike terror into (the hearts of the enemies” (8:60).
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