Four members of the far-right Proud Boys group are found guilty of seditious conspiracy over the 2021 US Capitol riot
The Civil War-era charge, which is defined as a plot to overthrow the government, is rarely used and carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison
Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and the group’s ex-leader Enrique Tarrio are all convicted, but the jury remains split on whether Dominic Pezzola is guilty
The jury in Washington DC only reached a partial verdict and has been instructed to continue deliberating on multiple outstanding charges
The four-month trial saw prosecutors argue that the Proud Boys were "thirsting for violence" on 6 January 2021
Hundreds of people face charges over the riot, which saw Donald Trump supporters storm the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory
We're pausing our live coverage on the Proud Boys trial - but as it was only a partial verdict released today, there's more news to come.
Stay up to date with the latest here:
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Mike Wendling
US digital reporter
We won't know exactly why the jury couldn't come to a decision on some counts until we hear from the jurors themselves.
But the heaps of evidence introduced during the trial give us some strong clues.
On the most serious count, seditious conspiracy, the jury has so far failed to come to a decision about defendant Dominic Pezzola.
Pezzola was a noteworthy participant in the riot. He took a riot shield from a police officer and used it to smash a Capitol building window.
But he testified that he was a very recent Proud Boys recruit and that he didn’t know his co-defendants before the riot.
The jury seems to have found his testimony that he acted alone at least somewhat credible – they convicted Pezzola of the window-smashing incident but couldn’t reach a decision on the same charge against his co-defendants.
And all except Pezzola were found not guilty of taking the riot shield in the first place.
The jury could still decide to convict Pezzola on more serious charges.
But for the four defendants that were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, the questions about the window and the shield are minor issues. They are facing the possibility of decades in prison.
Image source, Getty ImagesDominic Pezzola (centre, with grey beard) next to "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley, inside the Capitol on 6 January 2021
As we've been reporting, four Proud Boys members were found guilty of seditious conspiracy today by a jury in Washington DC - which is by far the most notable charge against them.
But there are still several other counts the jury must decide on.
US District Judge Timothy Kelly has instructed jurors to continue deliberating on the multiple remaining charges.
After the full verdict is in, we await the sentencing hearing - which could take weeks or months. It will be up to the judge.
The defendants face up to 20 years in prison for seditious conspiracy, and more for other charges if found guilty.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe're winding down our live coverage, but here's what's been happening.
We've been reporting on the verdict from the Proud Boys trial for their role in 6 January storming of the US Capitol.
Mike Wendling
US digital reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMost of those who stormed the Capitol on 6 January 2021 weren't part of an organised group.
But the most serious charges have been levied against those who led far-right groups attempting to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
Last year two leaders of the Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy - a crime that stems from a Civil War-era law and is a step below treason.
Now four Proud Boys leaders also face the prospect of long prison sentences - up to 20 years in jail on the most serious charge alone.
US government prosecutors will see this as vindication after a trial that took twice as long as expected and where the outcome at times seemed in doubt.
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riots. Today is certainly not the end of the legal saga.
While Proud Boys ex-leader Enrique Tarrio was not at the Capitol on 6 January, fellow member Joe Biggs was.
The 38-year-old from Florida is spotted here in a photo with Tarrio at a rally in Oregon in 2019.
The pair, Tarrio on the left and Biggs on the right, were both found guilty of seditious conspiracy today for their attempt to overturn the 2020 election result in favour of Donald Trump during the 6 January storming of the US Capitol.
They both face up to 20 years in prison for that charge alone, and we still await news on other possible verdicts.
Image source, Getty ImagesLet's take a closer look now at what actually happened on January 6th.
In the weeks after the attack on the US Capitol, BBC Newsnight's Gabriel Gatehouse took a closer look at the movements of members of the far-right Proud Boys that day.
In this extract from a longer film, he analyses footage of Proud Boys marching on the Capitol even before Donald Trump had spoken at a rally.
Joe Biggs and Ethan Nordean, two of the four men convicted of seditious conspiracy, are seen leading the group in the minutes before protesters breach security at the Capitol steps.
Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesWith the Proud Boys conviction, it could feel like a chapter in the criminal investigations into the 6 January attack on the US Capitol is coming to a close.
The ending may not be so tidy, however. Some Republican politicians have contended that many of the 6 January participants are being wrongfully targeted.
“Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the rigged presidential election,” Donald Trump wrote in a September 2021 statement.
At a Texas rally in March, the former president played a video that featured his recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance interspersed with a group of arrestees singing the US national anthem and footage of the Capitol attack. Trump has also said that if he returns to the White House he would consider pardoning January 6th participants.
Another conservative firebrand, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, visited a Washington, DC, jail in March, characterising those in pre-trial detention as “political prisoners”.
During a presidential debate in 2020, Trump in response to a question notably told the members of the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”.
As a handful of the group’s leaders now face years of prison time, the way the former president and his political allies respond to this latest development will be closely watched.
Image source, Getty ImagesAs the trial came to a close last week, we heard closing arguments from prosecutors and the defendants' lawyers. They disagreed on a lot, but blaming Donald Trump was an argument used by both sides.
In his closing argument, justice department's Conor Mulroe argued the defendants - Enrique Tarrio, Dominic Pezzola, Zachary Rehl, Joseph Biggs and Ethan Nordean - stirred other Proud Boys members towards violence in the run up to the 6 January riots.
Quote MessageThese defendants saw themselves as Donald Trump’s army, fighting to keep their leader in power no matter what the law or the courts had to say about it."
Conor Mulroe, US Justice Department
He added:
Quote MessageTo these defendants, politics was no longer something for the debating floor or voting booth. To them, politics meant actual physical combat, a battle between good and evil in the most literal sense."
Defence lawyers representing Proud Boys' members told the jury the defendants had no plans to attack the Capitol building and they travelled to Washington just to protest.
Meanwhile, the far-right group leader's lawyer argued former President Donald Trump was to blame as he urged protesters to descend on the Capitol, saying:
Quote Message"They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald Trump and those in power."
Nayib Hassan, Enrique Tarrio's lawyer
There were no cameras in the DC Federal Court, but we're getting reports of what happened inside the courtroom.
Enrique Tarrio’s family sat on the left of the court, and Tarrio, dressed smartly, gestured to them as he entered.
His mother waited, visibly nervous, shaking slightly.
Many of the 36-year-old's relatives from Miami have been present throughout the trial.
Tarrio hugged other defendants, wishing them luck.
Tarrio seemed calm. He did not react as the jury came in and then read out the verdicts - even when the first two counts, the most serious that carry sentences of multiple years, were read.
His family remained silent throughout.
After the verdicts, Tarrio again gestured to his mother, seemingly trying to reassure her that he was ok.
Image source, Getty ImagesNayib Hassan, attorney for Enrique Tarrio, arriving at court to represent his client
Image source, Getty ImagesAs we've been reporting, a federal jury in Washington has found Enrique Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Joseph Biggs guilty on the seditious conspiracy charge.
The jury did not reach a verdict on that count for the final defendant, Dominic Pezzola.
Prosecutors said the defendants conspired to unlawfully use force, as well as the crowds gathered in Washington on 6 January, to keep former President Donald Trump in office.
As reported by our US partner CBS, the charging papers alleged Nordean, Rehl, Biggs and Pezzola gathered with over 100 Proud Boys near the Washington Monument on 6 January 2021, around the time that Trump was speaking at the White House Ellipse.
The group allegedly marched to the Capitol grounds and communicated by radio.
According to prosecutors, the defendants were among the first wave of rioters to breach the grounds over police barricades and lead others towards the building.
Proud Boys leader Tarrio was not in Washington on 6 January, as he had been arrested for unrelated charges the previous day.
But the Justice Department alleged his role in planning the attack beforehand, support for rioters during the attack and comments during the aftermath were enough to charge him with seditious conspiracy.
Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent
The Proud Boys are one of the country's most prominent far-right extremist groups.
Prosecutors said they saw themselves as Donald Trump's foot soldiers - and were leading the fight to help him cling onto power
Five men from the group have been on trial for 14 weeks - four have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy - a rare charge which essentially means treason and trying to overthrow democracy on 6 January.
The four include the group's former leader Enrique Tarrio, who wasn't in Washington that day but was watching events unfold on television in a hotel room..
The prosecution said he’d guided the group and then took credit for it on social media where he posted: "Make no mistake, we did this."
There was no verdict for seditious conspiracy for one man - a former marine named Dominic Pezzola - although he was convicted of other serious crimes.
All men were also found guilty of obstructing Congress on 6 January.
The verdicts strengthens the government's contention that what happened that day wasn't a riot that got out of control but a pre-planned attack aimed at overthrowing democracy.
There are expected to be a thousand more cases coming through the courts against rioters accused of breaking the law.
Image source, Getty ImagesBack in November, a jury found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of the charge of seditious conspiracy following a two-month trial.
The far-right militia leader was found guilty of plotting to stop US President Joe Biden from taking office after the 2020 election.
Oath Keepers and Proud Boys were among those who gathered at the Capitol on 6 January 2021, but leaders of the two groups criticised each other in sworn testimony.
As reported by the BBC's US disinformation reporter in December, the animosity between the two stems from a 2019 demonstration in Portland, Oregon, one of a number of far-right protests in the city.
Oath Keepers were providing security for the event, but Rhodes says he heard that a white nationalist was part of the group, and he pulled his members out. Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio was furious.
You can read more about their rift here.
Mike Wendling
US reporter
The all-male group was started in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, a co-founder of Vice Magazine who later became a right-wing podcaster. He said he was leaving the group two years later.
They were keen to portray themselves as a drinking club, but became better known for their street brawls with far-left anti-fascist "antifa" on the streets of major American cities.
Their politics were a mix of traditional, male supremacist and extreme libertarian views.
They gathered with local actions - and plenty of violence - before shooting to mainstream attention in 2020, when they were the subject of a brief discussion during a presidential debate.
The group was firmly on the side of Donald Trump, who once told them to "stand back and stand by" in an election debate.
Dozens of Proud Boys - in addition to the five on trial - were at the Capitol riots on 6 January 2021.
Since then, the group's national leadership has dissolved, although local chapters continue and have largely turned their attention to anti-transgender activism.
Prior to the verdict, McInnes said he believes the group will continue despite its current lack of leadership.
"It's just set in stone and you can't kill it. There's no top, there's no head."
Image source, ReutersFormer Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, seen here with Joe Biggs (right) in December 2020.
The four defendants found guilty on the seditious conspiracy charge are:
The jury did not reach a verdict on that count for the final defendant, Dominic Pezzola.
Less serious than treason, seditious conspiracy is defined as a plot to overthrow the government or use force "to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States".
It is from the Civl War era and rarely used, though the case of the Oath Keepers, another far-right group, was the first successful prosecution for seditious conspiracy since 1995.
Last November, a jury found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes guilty of the rare charge of seditious conspiracy following a two-month trial.
He plotted an armed rebellion to stop the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Biden on 6 January, prosecutors said.
Three other members of that militia were acquitted of the charge during last year's trial.
Four members of the far-right Proud Boys group have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy over the 2021 US Capitol riot.
Reporters are currently awaiting the jury's partial verdict in the trial of five Proud Boys members.
Image source, BB