Proud Boys Leader Released, Banned From DC

The leader of the Proud Boys has been ordered out of Washington, DC, a day before members of the far-right group plan to attend pro-President Trump demonstrations. Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, who was arrested Monday for allegedly stealing and burning a historic Black church's Black Lives Matter banner during a previous protest, was released from jail Tuesday and told to stay out of the capital until his next court appearance in June, NPR reports. Tarrio, who lives in Miami, also faces a weapons charge over two high-capacity firearm magazines officers found when he was arrested, the AP reports.

Tarrio pleaded not guilty to both offenses before DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond ordered him released on his own recognizance, WTOP reports. The judge rejected Tarrio's lawyer's request to ban him from the Black Lives Matter Plaza area instead of the entire District of Columbia. citing social media posts in which Tarrio said he had burned the banner and vowed to do it again. According to court papers, police said Tarrio told them he had the high-capacity magazines, which are banned in DC, because he sells them online and had planned to deliver them to a customer. "I can give you, like my invoices and stuff like that from it, and, like, the USPS shipping label," he told officers. (Tarrio says Proud Boys members might attend DC rallies "incognito.")