Idaho police arrested 31 members of the Patriot Front, a group of white supremacy, on Saturday after they were found packed in a U-Haul truck with anti-riot equipment near an LGBTQ Pride event in Coeur d’Alen, AP.
Driving the news: All 31 members were arrested and charged with conspiracy to riot, a crime after being found in a truck when it was pulled aside when traffic stopped, the Idaho head of state said.
- “They came to revolt in the city center,” Coir police chief Lee White told a news conference on Saturday, according to the AP.
The big picture: Only one of the men in the truck was actually from Idaho, and the others were from South Dakota, Wyoming, Texas and Oregon, among others, according to the Idaho head of state.
- The group’s national leader, Tom Rosso, is among those arrested, the Idaho Statesman said.
- The men were wearing white balaclavas to cover their faces, as well as khaki pants and navy blue shirts, when Coeur d’Alene police found them in the truck, according to the AP. The words “Get America Back” were written on the back of a shirt.
- The evidence gathered shows that the group had plans to revolt in several places in the city center. Inside U-Haul, police found shields, shin guards, riot gear and even a smoke grenade.
- Police spotted the truck after Tipster warned them that “it looks like a small army is getting into the vehicle” in a hotel parking lot, White told a news conference.
What’s next: Men should be charged on Monday.
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