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Leader of ultra-right group Proud Boys arrested in Washington

Washington, Jan 4 (efe-epa).- The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was arrested on Monday in Washington where he planned to participate in a protest to support outgoing President Donald Trump later this week, officials said.

Police arrested Tarrio after he arrived in the US capital from Miami, where he lives.

He was detained on a warrant charging him with the burning of a banner of "Black Lives Matter" that he removed from a historic Black church during a demonstration last month, officials said.

The leader of the far-right group faces one count of property destruction, misdemeanor, and two other counts of possession of firearm magazines with extra capacity for bullets, according to police sources cited by The Washington Post.

The Proud Boys group has gained a high profile in recent months among the far-right organizations that support Trump.

Tarrio and his followers planned to attend a mega-protest in support of Trump in the capital on Wednesday.

He recently wrote on Parler, an American microblogging and social networking service, that the Proud Boys would take to the streets in “unprecedented numbers, but this time with a difference.”

"We will not wear our traditional black and yellow uniform. We will be incognito and will be dispersed throughout downtown Washington DC in smaller platoons," he said.

Tarrio, who was also involved in the Latinos for Trump organization during the election campaign, acknowledged in December in an interview with the Washington Post that he had ripped off the church banner and burned it.

"I did it," the activist said.

He said he would plead guilty to the destruction of property, pay the church the cost of the banner, and surrender to authorities if they file criminal charges.

Police have not ruled out federal authorities filing charges against Tarrio for hate crimes even as he denies that his actions are motivated by race, religion, or political ideology.

He alleged that the “Black Lives Matter” movement had “terrorized the citizens of this country” during last year's protests against police brutality.

The Proud Boys have ties to white supremacist groups. But Tarrio has generally tried to avoid the label that other members of his group embrace more freely.

In addition to the Proud Boys, half a dozen other Trump loyalists have called for demonstrations on Wednesday.

The authorities in Washington have activated at least 340 National Guard troops to protect the US capital in the face of the demonstrations by Trump supporters.

Capital Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a press conference that she was considering the option of declaring a curfew and the Metropolitan Police chief, Robert Contee, said that he had received information that certain individuals will try to enter the District of Columbia with assorted weaponry.

The organizing groups have estimated that about 15,000 people will gather in downtown DC when Congress meets to certify the Electoral College votes from the Nov. 3 presidential election, which Democrat Joe Biden won but which Trump has steadily refused to acknowledge.

Several Republicans in Congress plan to challenge electoral votes in some key states, which can delay the ratification process for Biden's victory for hours.

However, there are no real options for changing the election outcome that Trump alleges was manipulated in favor of Biden. EFE-EPA

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