Authorities had considered for months whether criminal charges were appropriate for the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego.
New charges against the two men appear to be the first conspiracy cases involving alleged members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group of self-described “Western chauvinists.”
In addition to communicating with Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, about illegal firearms sales, the group discussed shooting protesters after scouting a Black Lives Matter rally and had participated in live-fire weapons training where participants displayed Nazi symbols, prosecutors allege in court documents unsealed Friday.
One of the soldiers was filmed rapping at the house in question, detectives said, while the other was spotted by surveillance cameras washing what he acknowledged were blood stains from his car.
The top U.S. military commander for Latin America said Friday that the Trump administration isn’t looking to use military force to remove Nicolas Maduro even as it expands counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean.