Proud Boys and Oath Keepers leaders, jailed over January 6, are freed by President Trump
Former Proud Boys leader Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio, who was jailed for 22 years for seditious conspiracy over the January 6 riots, has been released from prison after being pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Tarrio, who warned of a second US civil war, was handed the longest sentence for any Capitol Riots defendant for his role in planning the insurrection that sought to stop Joe Biden’s 2020 victory being certified.
Elmer Stewart Rhodes, leader of the militant Oath Keepers group, has also been freed from prison after his 18-year sentence was commuted.
President Trump has frequently referred to those jailed over January 6 as “hostages” and on his first day back in the White House, he issued a sweeping clemency order, granting pardons to more than 1,500 defendants.
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Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio
“No quarter. Raise the black flag,” Tarrio had raged online in November 2020, angry at Mr Biden’s election win. He wanted Mr Trump to remain in office, so he and others hatched a plan, one that culminated in the storming of the Capitol.
Now Tarrio has received a full pardon from President Trump and has been released from prison.
“This marks a pivotal moment in our client’s life, and it symbolises a turning point for our nation,” Nayib Hassan said in a statement.
“We are optimistic for the future, as we now turn the page on this chapter, embracing new possibilities and opportunities.”
Read more: How four Proud Boys secretly planned to overthrow American democracy
Henry ‘Enrique’ Tarrio in Portland in 2019. Pic: AP
Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola
Fellow Proud Boys Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were put on trial alongside Tarrio charged with conspiring to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force (seditious conspiracy) and a number of other charges in relation to January 6.
US attorney Jason McCullough said in the days after the 2020 election the defendants had started “calling for action, calling for war, if their favoured candidate was not elected”.
The prosecution revealed what they said was a secret Proud Boys internal plan entitled “1776 Returns”, an incendiary document that laid out plans to take over buildings on January 6.
Proud Boys Joseph Biggs (left) and Ethan Nordean on January 6. Pic: AP
Biggs, Rehl and Nordean all played leadership roles in the Proud Boys and received some of the longest prison sentences of those sentenced over the riots: Nordean with 18 years, Biggs with 17 years and Rehl getting 15 years.
Pezzola, who was accused of assaulting former Capitol Police Officer Mark Ode by stealing his riot shield and using it to smash a window at the Capitol, was sentenced to 10 years.
All four have had their sentences commuted.
Proud Boys Zachary Rehl (left) and Ethan Nordean on January 6. Pic: AP
Elmer Stewart Rhodes
Rhodes, the founder of the militant Oath Keepers group, was convicted of seditious conspiracy.
While he did not enter the US Capitol building, he was convicted for plotting to use force against Congress to prevent the election certification.
Prosecutors at trial showed the jury encrypted messages, recordings and surveillance videos where Rhodes spoke about the prospect of a “bloody” civil war, and warned group members they may have to “rise up in insurrection” to defeat Mr Biden if Mr Trump did not act.
The former army paratrooper, who wears an eye patch after accidentally shooting himself in the face with his own gun, was jailed for 18 years but has now had his sentence commuted.
Like Tarrio, he also has now been freed from prison.
Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes. Pic: Reuters
Kelly Meggs
Meggs, an Oath Keepers “chapter leader” from Florida was convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes.
His wife Connie was also charged and convicted in a separate trial.
He was jailed for 12 years but had his sentence commuted by Mr Trump. His wife, like most of the January 6 defendants, received a pardon.
Kenneth Harrelson and Jessica Watkins
Oath Keepers associates Harrelson and Watkins went on trial alongside Rhodes and Kelly Meggs on criminal charges of seditious conspiracy.
While the jury acquitted them of that charge, they were convicted of a number of other crimes.
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Watkins, a transgender woman who during the trial spoke openly about the struggles she faced with her identity while serving in the military, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison, while Harrelson received four years.
Both had their sentences commuted.
The scene at the US Capitol on January 6. Pic: AP
Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joseph Hackett and David Moerschel
Minuta, Vallejo, Hackett and Moerschel were a group of Oath Keepers who were put and trial and convicted of seditious conspiracy.
Their sentences – four-and-a-half years for Minuta, three years for Moerschel and Vallejo and 42 months for Hackett – were commuted by President Trump.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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