Trial begins against 5 members of the Proud Boys group for attacking the US Capitol.

The sedition trial against five members of the far-right group Proud Boys for the attack on Capitol from USA in 2021 it began this Monday with the selection of the jury.

The charges against the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrioand four other members of the group, derive from their attempt to stop on January 6, 2021 the certification by Congress of the victory in the presidential elections of Democrat Joe Biden over the then Republican president donald trump.

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Although Tarrio was not in Washington at the time of the riot, the prosecution alleges that he directed it.

The other four –Dominic Pezzola, joseph biggs, Ethan Nordean Y Zachary Rehl– are accused of directly participating in the assault.

In widely shared video, Pezzola can be seen using a stolen police riot shield to break a window in the Capitol.

Tarrio was arrested in Miami in March and faces charges along with the others for conspiracy to obstruct official process, obstruction of law enforcement and destruction of government property.

More than 900 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters, but only a handful have been charged with seditious conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Two leaders of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, were found guilty of seditious conspiracy last month, including its founder Stewart Rhodes.

The jury acquitted three other members of that group of sedition but convicted them of lesser offenses, such as obstructing an official proceeding.

According to the indictment, Tarrio met with Rhodes on Jan. 5 in an underground parking garage in Washington and was in contact with members of the Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol.

MORE INFORMATION: Proud Boys were behind Capitol takeover, investigators say

The trial against the Proud Boys, which is taking place in federal court in Washington, is expected to take several weeks.

The attack on Congress left at least five dead and 140 police officers injured, and followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House.

The former president still maintains, without evidence, that the November 2020 elections were a fraud.

Source: Elcomercio

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