“We are clear from the team that the individuals had with them, the things they had in their possession, the U-Haul with them along with the documentation that was confiscated from them, who came to riot in the center. of the city, “Coeur said. “Alene police chief Lee White said during a news conference.
The FBI is assisting local police in their investigation, according to FBI Public Affairs Specialist Sandra Yi Barker. Barker said Coeur d’Alene police are the main law enforcement agency investigating the situation.
Police said the people who were arrested wore similar clothing associated with the Patriot Front, including an identical badge, and there was at least one smoke grenade in their possession. They were still in process at the time of the press conference and have not yet been identified.
White said the group was equipped with “shields, thorns and other riot gear with them,” along with documents he described as “similar to a plan of operations that a police or military group would put together for an event.”
The 31 people were arrested for conspiracy to riot, which is a misdemeanor, White said, adding that the suspects came from at least 11 states.
The operation in Coeur d’Alene began when a concerned citizen reported to police that “about 20 people jumped into a U-Haul. They had shields and looked like a small army,” White said.
There was no significant violence or interruption before the arrests were made, White said, adding: “Today has ended up being relatively quiet overall.”