MIAMI – The former national chairman of the Proud Boys, Miami resident Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, has been arrested following his indictment on conspiracy and other charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Tarrio, 38, was arrested Tuesday and is set to make his initial appearance in Miami federal court.
According to court documents, the Proud Boys describes itself as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world, aka Western Chauvinists.”
Through at least Jan. 6, 2021, Tarrio was the national chairman of the organization. In mid-December, Tarrio created a special chapter of the Proud Boys known as the “Ministry of Self Defense.”
According to the indictment, Tarrio and five co-defendants, all of whom were leaders or members of the Ministry of Self Defense, conspired to “corruptly obstruct, influence, and impede an official proceeding, the certification of the Electoral College vote.”
On Jan. 6, Tarrio and the others are accused of directing and mobilizing members of the crowd onto the Capitol grounds and into the Capitol, leading to the destruction of property and assaults on law enforcement.
Although Tarrio is not accused of physically taking part in the breach of the Capitol, the indictment alleges that he led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys during the breach of the Capitol.
Tarrio was arrested on Jan. 4, 2021, on a warrant charging him in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia with the destruction of property in the Dec. 12, 2020 burning of a Black Lives Matter banner. He was released at approximately 5 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021. As a condition of his release, he was ordered to stay out of Washington.
The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys before and during the events of Jan. 6. He also reportedly claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack.
Tarrio was indicted on one count of each conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as two counts each of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and destruction of government property.
In the 14 months since Jan. 6, more than 775 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
