Seven Proud Boys and 4 Oath Keepers with military ties, 36 women, and an L.A. County cohort: Detailed composition of MAGA riot emerges in more than 250 arrests
A new analysis of the participants in the siege of the Capital has identified a growing number of alleged perpetrators in the Capitol riots with military backgrounds who identified with militia and right wing groups.
Rioters came from 40 states and the District of Columbia, with 33 out of 257 arrests analyzed coming from military backgrounds, according to a new report by the George Washington University Program on Extremism.
Out of those with military backgrounds, more than a third, 36 per cent had ties to extremist groups.
Among those with military and extremist backgrounds, 7 were members of the Proud Boys group, four were Oath Keepers, and one was from the Three Percenters group.
Jessica Marie Watkins (2nd from Left) and Donovan Ray Crowl (Center), both from Ohio, march down the East front steps of the U.S. Capitol with the Oath Keepers militia group among supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump occupying the steps in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. A new analysis looks at those with both military and extremist ties, and regional breakdowns
Rioters included members of military networks, military 'clusters,' and 'inspired believers,' the GW study published Tuesday found.
Of they later group, they 'arranged their own travel, accommodations, and other logistics to join the crowds in Washington from areas throughout the United States,' according to the report.
'Charging documents claim that many of the more-organized individuals that participated in the siege were affiliated with nationwide anti-government militia movements, specifically the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters. Both groups operate as umbrella organizations for dozens of militias throughout the country,' according to the group.
Two days before the riots, the Oath Keepers website posted a notice: '“Call to Action: Oath Keepers Deploying to DC To Protect Events, Speakers and Attendees on Jan 5-6: Time to Stand!”
The report identified 33 out of 257 charged with military backgrounds
There were 36 women charged out of 257 in the riots
Researchers found extensive social media evidence, including many who posted about their alleged crimes in real time
Kelly Meggs is one of the alleged Oath Keepers indicted
Graydon Young was charged in a superseding indictment Feb. 19th
Tom Caldwell of Berryville, Virginia poses for a photo at a mock White House rostrum during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S., February 28, 2019. Caldwell, 65, is described as the Oath Keepers' main organizer.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified for the first time since the January 6th MAGA riot Tuesday. He called the attack a form of 'domestic terrorism'
A superseding indictment from Feb. 19th charges a group of nine alleged Oath Keepers. It charges the alleged co-conspirators with 'violent entry and disorderly conduct, entering a restricted building, obstructing an official proceeding, destroying government property, and tampering with documents or proceedings.'
Thomas Caldwell, 65, from Berryville, VA, is described as the group's main organizer.
Broken down by gender, there are 221 men and 36 women in the group.
The highest totals of alleged participants came from L.A. County in California, Franklin County in Ohio, and Bucks County in Pennsylvania.
Online evidence has proven devastating at the charging stage. A total of 15 per cent indicated their intent in advance online; 68 per cent documented their conduct in real time, and 25 per cent commented on it in the days that followed.
The group includes 'organized clusters.' That includes Delaware man Kevin Seefried, who reportedly brought a Confederate battle flag inside the building, and got charged alongside his son, Hunter Seefried.
The report came on a day FBI Director Chris Wray testified for the first time since the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, calling it an act of 'domestic terrorism' while saying an FBI warning hours before the event was disseminated more widely than had been known.
'There were clearly some individuals involved, which I would consider the most dangerous … who did have plans and intentions and some level of coordination,' Wray said.
'Certainly the capitol attack involved violence extremists,' Wray said, calling it 'a form of domestic terrorism.'
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) asked about the report.
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