A far-right leader arrested for sedition for the assault on the Capitol

The leader of the American far-right formation Oath Keepers (the Guardians of the Oath) has been arrested this Thursday after being charged with conspire to sedition for having participated in the storming the capitol from January 6, 2021.

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, 56, from Granbury, Texas, is considered the founder and leader of the organization, and has been arrested in the Texas town of Little Elm. It is the first time that he has been formally accused before the Justice for the events of January 6, more than a year after the events occurred.

The Oath Keepers are a loose organization linked to the citizen militias and, although they accept anyone as a member, they focus their recruitment tasks on ex-military, police and first aid personnel. In addition to their leader, also ten other members have been charged with sedition de los Oath Keepers.

According to the Department of Justice, Rhodes and the rest of the defendants conspired after the US presidential election on November 3, 2020, which was won by the Democratic candidate and current president, Joe Biden, to “forcefully oppose the execution of the laws that govern the transfer of presidential power.

To date, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has brought charges against more than 700 people for crimes ranging from physically attacking police officers to preventing them from carrying out their duties, including destroying government property and entering a building with restricted access.

the biggest sentence issued to date concerned a man who attacked police officers with a fire extinguisher and was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.