FBI arrests Philly Proud Boys president photographed at Capitol insurrection

Zach Rehl is a veteran and the son of two Philadelphia police officers.

• Ryan Briggs/WHYY
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  Ryan Briggs is an investigative journalist who has covered politics, criminal justice and government policy since 2011. He has worked as a staff reporter for Next City, the Philadelphia City Paper, Philly.com and City & State PA, while contributing stories to a variety of other news outlets as a freelancer, including WHYY.

(Philadelphia) — The leader of a Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group, was arrested by federal agents early Wednesday. The militant activist, Zach Rehl, was arrested at his Port Richmond home.

The FBI field office confirmed details of the arrest, which stems from still unsealed criminal charges. A spokesperson did not provide additional details.

Rehl was brought into custody about two weeks after The Philadelphia Inquirer, which broke news of the arrest, reported that photos had surfaced of him at the Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally in Washington D.C. that ended with the storming of the Capitol.

Rehl, a veteran and the son of two Philadelphia police officers, was visible on various forms of media at the rally sporting a Temple University backpack. A photo posted online appears to show him inside the Capitol building with other rioters.

Investigators have detained over a dozen members of the Proud Boys to date over criminal events at the rally.

The group was founded in 2016 by VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who has since distanced himself from the group. The Proud Boys depict themselves as opponents of leftists, feminists, and Islam, while promoting a traditionalist “Western chauvinist” value system.

At least 32 people charged in connection to the insurrection are from Pennsylvania.

 

NPR’s Investigative and News Apps teams have published a database of everyone arrested so far in connection with the Capitol riot. This area of reporting is ongoing, and the database is being updated.

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WHYY is the leading public media station serving the Philadelphia region, including Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania. This story originally appeared on WHYY.org.