Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes (center)
The founder of the far-right militia the Oath Keepers and 10 others in the group have been indicted and arrested for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the planning of the 2021 incident.
Founder Stewart Rhodes, 56, is being charged for the first time in connection to events leading up to and on Jan. 6, according to a statement from the Justice Department released Thursday and obtained by NBC News. The other 10, including nine others who already faced charges in connection to the riot, were also indicted.
Rhodes put out a call on the group's website in the days before the attack for "all patriots who can be in DC" to travel to Washington for a "security mission" to "stand tall in support of President Trump's fight," NBC News also reports.The new indictment was handed down Wednesday and made public Thursday.
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from ABC:
The leader of the Oath Keepers militia group, who was indicted Thursday on a series of charges including seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, made his first appearance before a judge Friday in a federal courtroom in Texas.
Stewart Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper and graduate of Yale Law School, could spend decades behind bars if convicted on all five federal counts he faces -- including the most serious seditious conspiracy charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
A lawyer for Rhodes told ABC News Friday that the allegations against Rhodes were "lies," and said that no members of the Oath Keepers ever "planned or conspired to attack the Capitol."
In his Friday court appearance, Rhodes responded "Yes" when asked by Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson if he understood the charges against him. He then waived his right to have the full indictment read aloud.
Prosecutors asked that Rhodes be detained while he is awaiting trial, and the judge set a detention hearing for Jan. 20. Rhodes will remain in custody until then.
It's rather telling that they've waited a year before making a move on this. Could it be a strategy to re-ignite Jan. 6 rhetoric closer to an election year?
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Comment: More from ABC: It's rather telling that they've waited a year before making a move on this. Could it be a strategy to re-ignite Jan. 6 rhetoric closer to an election year?
See also: