The leader of the far-right Proud Boys group has reportedly been arrested in Washington DC after allegedly setting fire to a Black Lives Matter banner after a protest last month.
Enrique Tarrio was reportedly arrested in the capital on Tuesday shortly after arriving to attend rallies in support of Donald Trump, USA Today, which was interviewing Mr Tarrio at the time of his arrest, has reported.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Department told USA Today he was arrested and charged with destruction of property in relation to the incident last month.
He was also found with two high-capacity firearm magazines and charged with two felony counts of possession, the report said.
In a parallel court case unveiled on Monday, Mr Tarrio and other members of the Proud Boys were accused by the historic Metropolitan AME church, also mainly African-American, with tearing down and burning its banner during the protests last month.
"The conduct of the Proud Boys in Washington, DC on December 12, 2020, amounted to a new and dangerous chapter in the long and terrible history of white supremacist mob violence targeting Black houses of worship," the church said in its filing.
Mr Tarrio reportedly told the last month that he was among the group who burned the banner, which was taken from a historic Black church during a demonstration on 12 December. In the same interview, he said he was not aware the church was largely attended by Black Americans and denied that it was a hate crime.
At the time of the incident, pastor Marie Mills, of the Asbury United Methodist Church, described the destruction of the banners as "reminiscent of cross burnings" - a practice used by white supremacist group the Ku Klux Clan.
Four people were hospitalised with stab wounds after clashes broke out between demonstrators and counter-protesters.
Members of the Proud Boys led by their chairman Enrique Tarrio (centre) march into Freedom Plaza, in Washington, on 12 December. Source: AAP
Members of the Proud Boys, a self-proclaimed "white chauvinist" organisation founded in 2016, are expected to attend a second rally planned for Wednesday, local time, in response to Mr Trump's election loss.
Mr Trump has encouraged his supporters to attend the rally in Washington DC on 6 January, describing the election as "the biggest SCAM in our nation's history".
"January 6th. See you in DC," he wrote on Twitter.
Washington police said on Monday they were worried about potential violence, particularly from groups like the Proud Boys, and warned that people carrying firearms would be arrested.
"We will not allow people to incite violence or intimidate our residents," said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
While based in the US, the Proud Boys also have chapters in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The group hit headlines in September last year after Mr Trump refused to during a presidential debate against President-Elect Joe Biden.
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Instead, he told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by", a statement quickly interpreted as a call to arms by people identifying as members of the group.
"Standing by sir. So proud of my guys right now," Mr Tarrio wrote on Parler, a micro-blogging platform, during the debate.
With AFP
