Kaysville man charged after white supremacist arrests in Idaho
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- Authorities arrest members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event Saturday, June 11, 2022, after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
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- This booking image shows Branden Haney, who was arrested on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in downtown Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Authorities arrested Haney along with other members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an LGBTQ pride event Saturday, after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
Georji Brown via AP
Authorities arrest members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event Saturday, June 11, 2022, after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
A criminal case has been opened against a Kaysville man who was one of 31 people arrested on suspicion of planning to riot Saturday at an LGBTQ pride event in northern Idaho.
Branden Mitchell Haney, 35, bailed out of jail after his arrest with fellow members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front. Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said during a news conference Saturday that the men had masks, shields, shin guards and other riot gear, including one smoke grenade.
Police converged on a U-Haul trailer after a tipster called to say a group with masks and riot gear was gathering in a hotel parking lot.
Charging documents were filed against Haney and others in Kootenai County District Court, records clerk Lisa Petersen said Tuesday. No further information about Haney was available.
“It was clear to us … that they came to riot downtown,” White said. The men were stopped near a park where a pride event was occurring.
Kootenai County Sheriff's Office via AP
This booking image shows Branden Haney, who was arrested on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in downtown Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. Authorities arrested Haney along with other members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an LGBTQ pride event Saturday, after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
He said paperwork found in the U-Haul “appeared very similar to an operations plan.” The men were arrested on suspicion of criminal conspiracy to riot, a misdemeanor.
Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including several from Utah and others from Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia and Arkansas, police said..
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Patriot Front is a white nationalist group that broke off from Vanguard America in the aftermath of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, of Aug. 12, 2017.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that extremist groups may be targeting LGBTQ people due to rhetoric from far-right influencers.