June 13 (Reuters) – Thirty-one members of the white nationalist Patriot Front national group arrested in Idaho over the weekend on suspicion of conspiracy to violate an LGBTQ pride event have been released on bail and will appear in the first place in court in the coming weeks, a court official said Monday.
The men arrested on Saturday after the U-Haul rental truck was stopped have been charged with conspiracy to commit riots, according to Coer d’Alen, Idaho, police chief Lee White.
A local resident called authorities after noticing the group of men, all dressed alike in white gaiters and shields, loaded into the truck “like a small army,” White said.
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Police stopped the truck about 10 minutes after the call, a short distance from the Pride in the Park event, he said.
Carlene Beringer, the administrator of the Kutenai County Court, confirmed that the men have been released from prison and will appear in court at a later date.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, White said authorities were unaware of the group’s plans in Coer d’Alen, Panhandl, Idaho, about 380 miles (612 km) north of the capital Boise.
“One lesson we have for our community … is that a concerned citizen can prevent something terrible from happening,” White said.
A video taken at the scene of the arrest and posted online shows a group of men in police custody kneeling next to the truck with their hands tied, wearing khakis, blue shirts, white masks and baseball caps.
Police are guarding a group of men police say are among 31 arrested for plotting riots and linked to the Patriot Front after being found in the back of a U Haul van near a Pride event in Coeur d. “Allen, Idaho, USA, June 11, 2022 in this still image obtained from a video on social media. North Country Off Grid / Youtube / via REUTERS
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Police seized at least one smoke grenade, a collection of shields and shin guards and documents including an “operational plan” from the truck, White said over the weekend, adding that the items clearly showed their intentions.
“This level of preparation was not something you see every day,” he said. “It immediately became clear to us that this was a rebel group.
The men came from at least 11 states across the country, White said, including Texas, Colorado and Virginia.
After the arrest, White said, he and others in his department received death threats. He did not give details.
The Patriotic Front was formed after a 2017 rally of white nationalists “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia, when it split from another extremist group, Vanguard America, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.
Saturday’s pride event, described by organizers as the largest ever in northern Idaho, drew a crowd of several hundred to celebrations, including a talent show and a drag queen dance class, local media reported.
“We are in the same city we were in last week,” Coeur d’Alene Mayor Jim Hammond said Monday. “We are a city that respects everyone who greets everyone.”
Spokane’s KREM-TV reported that several smaller groups had turned out to protest the rally, with dozens of people seen carrying weapons on the outskirts of the park, organizers said, in an attempt to intimidate LGBTQ people.
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Report by Joseph Ax; Edited by Daniel Wallis, Chris Reese, Nick Zieminski, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio
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