WASHINGTON — The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, has been charged with conspiracy related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as part of the FBI's ongoing investigation into the attack.
According to an indictment unsealed in federal court on Tuesday, Tarrio -- though he wasn't present at the Capitol on Jan. 6 -- was instrumental in planning the riot.
"The indictment alleges that Tarrio nonetheless continued to direct and encourage the Proud Boys prior to and during the events of Jan. 6, 2021," said a statement from the Justice Department,"and that he claimed credit for what had happened on social media and in an encrypted chat room during and after the attack."
"We went to Washington, D.C., with the intent of sitting there and supporting President Trump and then drink beer after, and obviously, I wasn't there and I can't tell you what was in their heads, but I think the mob mentality just took over," he told WTVJ.The indictment of Tarrio"shows the complex nature of the ongoing investigation," Javed Ali, former senior counterterrorism director at the National Security Council, told ABC News.