Far-right militia chief charged over Capitol attack

US PROSECUTORS yesterday charged Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the farright Oath Keepers militia, and 10 alleged members of the group with seditious conspiracy for their role in the deadly attack on the Capitol in January last year.

They said Rhodes had warned his group to prepare for a “bloody and desperate fight” in the days leading up to the assault, when supporters of thenpresident Donald Trump tried to stop Congress from certifying his election defeat.

This is the first time alleged participants in the attack have been charged with seditious conspiracy, which is defined as attempting “to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States”.

“We are going to have a fight,” prosecutors said Rhodes told his allies on the messaging app Signal. “That can’t be avoided.”

The Oath Keepers are a loosely organised group of activists who believe that the federal government is encroaching on their rights, and focus on recruiting police, emergency services and military members.

Nine of the eleven charged with seditious conspiracy were facing other charges relating to the Capitol attack. Members of the far-right Proud Boys and Three Percenters have also been charged with taking part in the attack.

The indictment says Rhodes started sending messages to his followers in November 2020, the month of Trump’s election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, encouraging them to “oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power”.

Seditious conspiracy is a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.