Far-right militia leader Rhodes found guilty of storming the Capitol Trump fights his new nemesis

A jury in the American capital of Washington found the 57-year-old guilty of this very serious offense on Tuesday. The leader of the militia faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

These are the first “incendiary conspiracy” convictions related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The offense includes attempts to overthrow the U.S. government and is rarely used in the U.S. filing.

Prosecutors had charged the five defendants in the trial with planning an “armed uprising” against the US government. The three other defendants were acquitted on Tuesday of charges of “seditious conspiracy” but found guilty of other offences. The verdicts will be announced later.

Hundreds stormed the Capitol

Members of the anti-government and violent Oath Keepers, along with hundreds of other radical supporters of President Donald Trump, stormed the Capitol as Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the November 2020 presidential election was finally confirmed.

According to the indictment, Rhodes, known for his black eye patch, and the other accused Oath Keepers had bought and stored weapons and riot equipment in a hotel near the capital. Rhodes acted “like a general on the battlefield” during the storming of the Capitol, prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler said at the trial.

Rhodes has denied planning an attack on the Capitol. He and his militia only wanted to guarantee security at a Trump rally in Washington on that day. “The Oath Keepers are basically a peacekeeping force,” Rhodes’ lawyer Phillip Linder said at the trial.

Five fatalities and more than 870 arrests

Weeks after the presidential election, Trump had made repeated allegations of voter fraud. At noon on January 6, 2021, the Republican called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight hell or hell.” The ensuing attack on the Capitol, which left five dead, caused horror around the world and is considered a black day in the history of American democracy.

In the weeks and months following the storm at the Capitol, more than 870 assailants were arrested. Fines have already been imposed in numerous cases, including for attacks on police officers. The trial of the Oath Keepers was the first trial charged with “seditious conspiracy” in connection with the attack on the Capitol.

The ex-soldier Rhodes, a law graduate of America’s elite Yale University, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009. In particular, the militia recruits former or current police and military personnel and aims to defend itself against a perceived tyranny of the US government. As with other extremist groups, the Oath Keepers have strong sympathies for Trump. (sda/afp)