大象传媒

A leader of the far-right Proud Boys organisation has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, one of the longest sentences handed out over the US Capitol riot. Prosecutors said 38-year-old US Army veteran, Joe Biggs, was an "instigator" in the storming of Congress on 6 January 2021. Another former leader, Zachary Rehl (not pictured), received a 15 year sentence. The men's lawyer said they had been following the guidance of Donald Trump in instigating the attack. Adam Klasfeld, a senior legal correspondent for The Messenger, who was in the courthouse, said: ''The men's sense of remorse was very palpable.'' He explains that while prosecutors had called Joe Briggs and Zachary Rehl "the foot soldiers of January 6th'', both men claimed to have been misled by Donald Trump's unfounded claims of election fraud.

Photo shows Leader of the Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio (L) Joe Biggs (R) shaking hands as they attend "The End Domestic Terrorism" far-right rally on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Credit Getty Images