Enrique Tarrio, erstwhile leader of the alt-right, so-called "western chauvinist" organization The Proud Boys, was arrested Tuesday for new conspiracy charges pertaining to his involvement in the planning and execution of the January 6 coup attempt at the Capitol.
And in a stunning reversal of his usual defiant confidence, this time Tarrio was arrested by law enforcement in a most embarrassing manner: wearing nothing but his skivvies.
The arrest occurred in the wee hours at Tarrio's home in Florida. Video of the moment showed him apparently taken by surprise, exiting his house in a daze in only his underwear and quickly submitting to law enforcement.
See the video below.
Tarrio was the leader of the Proud Boys until last year, having taken over in 2018 after the group's organizer, Vice Media founder Gavin McInnes, stepped back following the FBI classifying it as an extremist White nationalist group.
Tarrio did not attend the insurrection himself, having been arrested two days prior for vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a Black church in D.C. during a violent pro-Trump rally in December 2020.
But prosecutors found via text messages and group chats on social media app Telegram that Tarrio "led the advance planning and remained in contact with other members of the Proud Boys" during the riot, issuing directives to members about the event.
Most incriminating was a nine-page document Tarrio received December 30, 2020 titled "1776 Returns," which the Justice Department's indictment says “set forth a plan to occupy a few ‘crucial buildings’ in Washington on Jan. 6" and specifically mentioned seizing control of House and Senate facilities at the Capitol.
Following his arrest, Tarrio took to Twitter to threaten former Republican President Donald Trump, saying he "AINT TAKING THE FALL FOR THE BIG GUY (FATSOTRUMP)."
He also tweeted a screenshot of his underwear-clad arrest with a self-deprecating caption.
But most others on Twitter weren't laughing--or if they were, they were laughing at him, not with him.
Tarrio's indictment also focuses on five other members of The Proud Boys who participated in the attack. Given his past history as a "prolific" informant to law enforcement, many expect he will turn on his compatriots.
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