Recent Capitol Riot Arrests Target Right-Wing Extremists

More than a dozen arrests in the Jan. 6th Capitol riot were announced or unsealed recently, revealing charges against alleged supporters of extremist right-wing groups including the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and Boogaloo Bois, and individuals accused of attacking the property of news media and ranking among the most made public in a single day, reports the Washington Post. The surge of at least 13 new or unsealed arrests came as the FBI and Justice Department highlighted developments in the criminal probe nearing six months after the event, and the House voted to create a select committee to investigate the Capitol breach. Motives allegedly varied, although several suspects reportedly sought out affiliations with extremist groups anticipating violence, the government said.

Newly unsealed charges included trespassing and violent police assaults, and the defendants included George Tenney III, of Anderson, S.C., accused of being the first to open the east Capitol Rotunda doors from the inside, allowing the mob to enter. Separately charged were Gabriel Brown and Zvonimir Jurlina, both of Long Island, accused of destroying media equipment, and Steven Thurlow, an Army veteran from suburban Detroit, who allegedly posted images of himself in the Capitol and wearing a “Boogaloo” patch on social media. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced last week that the total number of arrests had reached 500, including 100 people who have been charged with assaulting police and the first defendant charged with assaulting a member of the news media. Federal investigators have brought multiple conspiracy cases against defendants tied to Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters.