
Stewart Rhodes, a founder and leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, has been arrested and charged in connection with events leading up to and including the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Why it matters: Rhodes is the most prominent figure arrested on charges related to the Capitol insurrection.
State of play: Rhodes, along with 10 other defendants, was charged with seditious conspiracy.
The indictment alleges that following the 2020 presidential election, Rhodes "conspired with his co-defendants and others to oppose by force the execution of the laws governing the transfer of presidential power by Jan. 20, 2021."
Details: Rhodes and co-conspirators allegedly began communicating via encrypted apps in December 2020, when they planned to travel to Washington, D.C. "on or around Jan. 6, 2021," per the DOJ. They made plans to bring weapons to the area to support the operation.