Federal agents today arrested two Kentucky men associated with the so-called Boogaloo Bois, including one charged with crimes related to a Jan. 6 riot in Louisville.
John Subleski, 32, is accused of inciting a riot in downtown Louisville on Jan. 6, the same day a mob egged on by former President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Subleski was allegedly part of a militia group that identified with the Boogaloo Bois — an extremist movement that centers on planning for an overthrow of the U.S. government.
Federal prosecutors allege that Subleski used social media to encourage others to take part in the riot.
Subleski posted that it was “Time to storm” the Louisville Police Department, according to a criminal complaint.
Another Louisville man, Adam Turner, 35, allegedly menaced a Kentucky police officer during a protest caravan through St. Matthews, Ky., on Dec. 25.
Turner was carrying an AR-pistol and resisted arrest, according to the Justice Department.
He later posted threatening messages against police on his social media.
Both men could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Since the Capitol riots, President Joe Biden’s administration has highlighted domestic extremism as a growing threat to the country.
The FBI has arrested more than 100 people in connection with the riots, FBI Director Christopher Wray announced last month.
The Boogaloo movement is a decentralized, online successor to the militia movement of the ’80s and ’90s whose adherents are fixated on attacking law enforcement and violently toppling the U.S. government.
Researchers say the movement began coalescing online in 2019 as people — mostly young men — angry with what they perceived to be increasing government repression, found each other on Facebook groups and in private chats.
In movement vernacular, Boogaloo refers to an inevitable and imminent armed revolt, and members often call themselves Boogaloo Bois, boogs, or goons.
In the weeks since Jan. 6, an array of extremist groups have been named as participants in the Capitol invasion.
The Proud Boys.
QAnon believers.
White nationalists.
The Oath Keepers.
But the Boogaloo Bois are notable for the depth of their commitment to the overthrow of the U.S. government and the jaw-dropping criminal histories of many members.