By Dennis Romero and Michelle Acevedo -
NBC News
Thirty-one members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front were arrested near an annual LGBTQ+ pride event Saturday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, police said.
The subjects were booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a riot, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said at an afternoon news conference.
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Police received reports in recent days that various groups planned to disrupt the Pride in the Park event, an annual event that highlights the civil rights struggles of LGBTQ+ communities.
Police in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, stop a group of white nationalists near an LGBTQ pride event on June 11, 2022. Georji Brown
So they increased staffing and were more attentive to possible signs of a disturbance.
So, they received a report about 20 suspicious people inside a U-Haul van on Saturday afternoon, White said.
The suspects wore masks, shields and "looked like a small army," the caller alerting authorities told White.
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Ten minutes after that, at 1:38 pm, police stopped the vehicle carrying 31 people in “similar clothing”.
They were arrested right there, the police chief said.
The suspects resided in multiple states, including Texas, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Arkansas, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Virginia, according to authorities.
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"They came to cause a disturbance
," White said. Federal law enforcement agencies have been in contact with local police about the matter and there have been rumors of groups
traveling to Coeur D'Alene with firearms. , bear spray and bladed weapons
, White added.
A smoke grenade was found inside the truck, the police chief said, and the suspected suspects were seen loading their belongings into the truck that morning.
Two other suspects were arrested that day near the LGBTQ+ pride event.
They were charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing on private property and were released shortly after.
Both were from Oregon and were not in the same truck as the other group, White explained.
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The organizer of Pride in the Park, the North Idaho Pride Alliance, asked participants on Facebook to be "alert to their surroundings" amid the potential threat.
However, he thanked the community for what was ultimately a successful event in 2022.
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Police said Tuesday they were recruiting staff for the pride event, but stressed they had no specific information indicating there was a threat from hate groups.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the Patriot Front as a white nationalist "hate" group.