The FBI has arrested Mathew David Bair, a leading member of the neo-Nazi accelerationist network Injekt Division, and convicted of storming the capitol on 6 January 2021, on charges of unlawfully possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
A federal magistrate judge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, ordered Bair to be held on remand, ruling that his release would pose a serious danger to the community.
Proud Boys
Bair is a former Marine who was court-martialled for larceny and the sale of classified materials and joined the riot at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 as a member of the First Capitol Proud Boys, as Trump supporters attempted to overturn the 2020 election result.
From his time as a Proud Boy, Bair increasingly gravitated towards a violent brand of white supremacist extremism, eventually joining Injekt Division, a neo-Nazi accelerationist group whose former leader was arrested in 2021 for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a Texas Walmart.
The group is linked to the international Terrorgram network, which promotes mass casualty attacks, political assassinations and infrastructure sabotage through online propaganda.
Possession of rifle
An indictment returned on 4 March alleged that Bair possessed an Aero Precision rifle and a Ruger pistol, knowing he had previously been convicted of a crime carrying a potential prison sentence of more than one year.
Bair pleaded not guilty following his arrest on 11 March.
In late 2023, Bair also joined 2119, a teenage neo-Nazi gang, after four of its members, aged between 15 and 18, were arrested in Pensacola, Florida, following a hate-fuelled vandalism campaign that included brick attacks on two synagogues.
