Mayhem: Dozens charged spewed extremist rhetoric
College Park (US), Feb. 16: In a text message, a radicalised Trump supporter suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River into the waiting arms of their members in time for Jan. 6, court papers say. It wasn't just idle talk, authorities say.
Investigators found invoices for more than $750 worth of live ammunition and for a firearm designed to look like a cellphone at the Virginia home of Thomas Caldwell, who's charged with conspiring with members of the far-right
Oath Keepers militia group in one of the most sinister plots in the US Capitol siege.
Right-wing extremists, blessed by Donald Trump, were unleashed last month, and their menacing presence has reignited the debate over domestic extremism and how law enforcement should be handling these groups.
Their talk of civil war, traitors and revolution mirrored fighting words echoed by right-wing social media personalities and websites for months as Trump spread bogus claims about a rigged presidential election.
In nearly half of the more than 200 federal cases stemming from the attack on the Capitol, authorities have cited evidence that an insurrectionist appeared to be inspired by conspiracy theories or extremist ideologies, according to an Associated Press review of court records. The FBI has linked at least 40 defendants to extremist groups or movements, including at least 16 members or associates of the neo-fascist Proud Boys and at least five connected to the anti-government Oath Keepers.
India skipper Virat Kohli said their emphatic 317run win over England was an example of the grit and determination of the young Indian side.
“It is a perfect game for us. The conditions were challenging for both sides, but we showed more application with the bat. We didn’t panic out there looking at the turn and bounce, we showed grit, got into the game and scored 600 runs in the match. We knew our bowlers are going to do the job for us if we put up these runs in home conditions,” said Kohli.
The Chennai win also ended Kohli’s four-match losing streak which began in Wellington in February 2020.
“If you looked at our second innings, we still applied ourselves and got almost 300. It wasn’t unfair if the toss went either way. Both teams should be in the game from the first session onwards, whether it is on spinning to seaming tracks, and that exactly was the case in this game,” he added.
When the opening Test was played behind closed doors, the hosts sorely missed spectators. Kohli said the crowds make a big difference. “When fans are behind you, you push more as a team. It was a bit strange in the first game to be playing at home without the crowd in the stands,” he said.