Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio to be sentenced for Capitol riot

The former leader of the far-right Proud Boys group will be sentenced on Tuesday for his role in the US Capitol riot.

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, 39, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other charges.

Tarrio wasn't present in Washington during the riot on 6 January 2021, having been arrested and ordered to leave the city before the unrest.

Instead he watched from a hotel room in nearby Baltimore.

After the November 2020 US presidential election, Tarrio and other Proud Boys posted a number of threatening messages online, warning of violence and unrest if Donald Trump left office.

That month, Tarrio replied to an online post by Joe Biden, writing: "YOU need to remember the American people are at war with YOU. No Trump… No peace. No quarter."

The Proud Boys and other groups rallied in support of Mr Trump in Washington DC on 12 December 2020. They clashed with anti-fascists and counter-protesters, and one Proud Boy was stabbed. On that day, Tarrio burned a Black Lives Matter banner that was taken from an African-American church.

When he attempted to return to the national capital in early January, he was arrested for the banner burning. He was found with a high-capacity ammunition magazine, which is illegal under the city's gun laws. He was released on bail and ordered to leave Washington.

During the 6 January riot he posted online: "After I finish watching this I'll make a statement about my arrest ... But for now I'm enjoying the show ... Do what must be done". He urged the rioters not to leave.

Prosecutors have asked for a sentence of 33 years in prison.

Seditious conspiracy is a rarely-used law which prohibits using force "to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States". In May, Tarrio was also convicted of obstruction and conspiracy charges, civil disorder and destruction of government property.

At the trial of Tarrio and four other Proud Boys earlier this year, prosecutors introduced a long list of text messages, social media posts and videos as evidence of a co-ordinated plot to try to stop the certification of the election result.

Lawyers for the defendants argued that the group was poorly organised, mostly non-violent, and that there was no preconceived plan to storm the building.

The group was founded in New York City in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, a co-founder of Vice who left the media company to embark on a career as a right-wing commentator and podcaster.

The Proud Boys describe themselves as an all-male drinking club or a "pro-Western fraternal organisation".

But they were immersed in far-right politics from the start, and became well known for frequent brawls with left-wing anti-fascist, or antifa, activists in cities across the US.

Their profile grew after they were mentioned during a discussion about political violence during a presidential debate in September 2020.

"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Mr Trump said at the time. "I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem."

Last week, four other Proud Boys were sentenced for their roles in the Capitol riot.

Former US Marines Dominic Pezzola and Zachary Rehl were given sentences of 10 and 15 years, respectively.

Joe Biggs, a US Army veteran who led the contingent of Proud Boys to the US Capitol, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, and Ethan Nordean, a Proud Boy from Washington state, who was also one of the group's leaders, was handed an 18-year term.

The sentences are among the longest given to Capitol rioters.

On Friday, an emotional Pezzola expressed remorse for his actions during his sentencing hearing. But once the prison term had been handed down and the judge had left the room, Pezzola raised a fist and shouted: "Trump won!"

Nordean told the court: "I would like to apologise for my lack of leadership that day."

"To anyone who I directly or even indirectly wronged, I'm sorry," he said. He remained mostly silent as he was sentenced.

Some other Capitol rioters have gone back on their expressions of remorse - a sign of just how politicised the debate over the events of that day has become. Mr Trump has promised to pardon most or all of the rioters if he's elected president in 2024.

Tuesday's hearing is the last in a series of sentencing hearings for top Proud Boys and Oath Keepers militia leaders.

In total more than 1,100 people have been arrested on Capitol riot-related charges, resulting in 630 guilty pleas and more than 110 convictions. Nearly 500 defendants have been sentenced to prison or house arrest.

The charges against the rioters have varied - from relatively minor crimes like entering a restricted area, to destruction of government property, assault and conspiracy. Around 200 have pleaded guilty to felony charges.

The investigation is still ongoing - the FBI is still trying to locate 14 rioters captured on video assaulting police officers or members of the media.