Washington (CNN)The Justice Department on Monday charged the head of the Proud Boys,
Enrique Tarrio, and four other leaders with seditious conspiracy in the
January 6 US Capitol attack, escalating the criminal case against the far-right extremist group.
These are the most aggressive charges brought by the Justice Department against the Proud Boys, and are the first allegations by prosecutors that the group tried to oppose by force the presidential transfer of power.
Tarrio and his co-defendants previously pleaded not guilty to an earlier slate of charges.
The new indictment adds fresh details about what Proud Boys leaders said on January 6, 2021. Prosecutors accuse the five defendants of working together to intimidate members of Congress and law enforcement and prompt them to flee, thereby preventing them from performing their official duties.