Freed Capitol riot ringleaders regroup - and vow 'retribution'

Enrique Tarrio (centre) speaks to reporters in Miami after his release from prison

Leaders of the far-right organisations at the forefront of the Capitol riot who were released on Donald Trump's orders say they are planning to regroup.

In an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes defended his actions during the 6 January 2021 riot and said he was "very grateful" to President Trump for commuting his sentence.

Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison on a number of charges including seditious conspiracy, or plotting to overthrow the government.

Meanwhile, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, former head of the Proud Boys, indicated to reporters that he had rejoined the all-male group.

"We've made the decision four years ago not to tell the media what our structure is, but I'd suggest that the media should stop calling me 'ex-Proud Boy,'" he told reporters as he travelled to his home in Miami on Wednesday.

Tarrio, who was serving a 22-year sentence, said members of the congressional committee who investigated the riot "need to be imprisoned."

"I'm happy that the president's focusing not on retribution and focusing on success, but I will tell you that I'm not going to play by those rules," he said in an interview on Infowars. "They need to pay for what they did."

Rhodes called for prosecution of Capitol police officers who testified against him at trial and Justice Department lawyers who pursued his case.

Blanket pardon

He alleged that officers who were at the Capitol that day – 174 of whom were injured – were responsible for the violence.

He told the BBC that he would like his group to "go back to the mission we had at the very beginning… to advocate that the police of the United States follow the Constitution and don't violate people's rights."

Police officers responsible for defending the US Congress reject those allegations and say they faced an unruly mob determined to stop legal proceedings.

Rhodes said: "I didn't go inside, nor did I instruct anyone else to. I simply stood outside and exercised my right to free speech."

The militia leader complained he did not get a fair trial because it was held in Washington DC, where the riot took place, and jurors were local - an argument that was previously rejected in court.

While most of those who stormed the Capitol on 6 January 2021 hoping to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election were not part of any official group, the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys each brought dozens of supporters to Washington.

Nearly 1,600 people have been arrested or convicted of riot-related crimes, according to the US Justice Department, including 600 charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing police.

On Monday, hours after his inauguration, Trump commuted 14 sentences – including Rhodes' – and issued a blanket pardon for the rest of the convicts and suspects.

• What are presidential pardons and how do they work?

Members of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia founded by Rhodes in 2009, transported weapons to a hotel room in Virginia and discussed sending them across the Potomac River to Washington.

But they never put such a plan into action. While Rhodes remained outside the Capitol building that day, prosecutors said he directed members inside the building.

The Proud Boys were founded in 2016 as a politically-minded drinking club, and later became known for street brawls with far-left Antifa activists.

Shortly before the riot, Tarrio was ordered by law enforcement to remain outside Washington, and he communicated with other Proud Boys leaders from a nearby hotel.

Revenge and regrouping

After the Capitol riot and the arrest of the leaders, the Oath Keepers largely ceased operations while the Proud Boys fractured, retreating to their local chapters and keeping a relatively low profile.

However in recent days, their channels on the chat app Telegram have been full of celebratory chatter along with barbs and slurs directed at opponents.

Members have discussed regrouping and getting involved in efforts to deport immigrants – although the legal basis for doing so is unclear.

A number of lawmakers have criticised the pardons – including Democrats but also Republicans.

Senator Tom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said: "I'm about to file two bills that will increase the penalties up to and including the death penalty for the murder of a police officer and increasing the penalties and creating federal crimes for assaulting a police officer.

"That should give you everything you need to know about my position," he said.

Susan Collins, the moderate Republican senator from Maine, said: "I do not support the pardons if they were given to people who committed violent crimes."

But others were in favour.

"One-hundred percent I'm for them," said Senator Tommy Tuberville. "Pardon every one of them. They've been there long enough."