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White nationalist who spoke at deadly Charlottesville rally arrested on kidnapping charges

During failed Senate bid Augustus Sol Invictus claimed to have drunk goat's blood

Andrew Buncombe

Seattle

Thursday 02 January 2020 02:37 GMT

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Charlottesville: Donald Trump says there were 'fine people on both sides'

A white nationalist who claimed during a Senate campaign to have drunk the blood of a slaughtered goat, and who spoke at a notorious neo-Nazi rally in Virginia, has been arrested on charges of kidnapping.

Augustus Sol Invictus, 36, was arrested by authorities while he was at a shopping mall in Brevard County, Florida.

His arrest warrant, issued by officials in South Carolina, related to charges of of domestic violence and kidnapping.

Officials in Florida described him as as an “out of state fugitive”.

Mr Invictus, a lawyer who legally changed his name from Austin Gillespie, was among the speakers at a white supremacist and neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in the summer of 2017.

Charlottesville one year on

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1/15Charlottesville one year on

Charlottesville one year on

Mary Grace, from Durham, North Carolina, walks through the downtown mall area August 11, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville has been declared in a state of emergency by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as the city braces for the one year anniversary of the deadly clash between white supremacist forces and counter protesters over the potential removal of Confederate statues of Robert E. Lee and Jackson. A "Unite the Right" rally featuring some of the same groups is planned for tomorrow in Washington, DC.

Getty

Charlottesville one year on

Chris Jessee (R) hands out placards to people visiting downtown Charlottesville as the city marks the anniversary of last year's 'Unite the Right rally' in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, 11 August 2018. On 12 August 2017, a bloody clash between white supremacists and counterprotestors in Charlottesville left three people dead and dozens injured

Getty

Charlottesville one year on

A member of the Virginia State Police waits outside the park where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee is located August 11, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville has been declared in a state of emergency by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam as the city braces for the one year anniversary of a deadly clash between white supremacist forces and counter protesters over the potential removal of Confederate statues of Robert E. Lee and Jackson. A "Unite the Right" rally featuring some of the same groups is planned for tomorrow in Washington, DC

Reuters

Charlottesville one year on

A woman displays a shirt ahead of the one-year anniversary of 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" protests, in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 10, 2018.

Reuters

Charlottesville one year on

A sign reading "Strength, which was taken down at the request of police officers, hangs by the statue of Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee, ahead of the one-year anniversary of 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" protests, in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 10, 2018.

Reuters

Charlottesville one year on

Law enforcement arrives ahead of the one year anniversary of 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" protests, in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 10, 2018

Reuters

Charlottesville one year on

A vendor displays wares on the mall as State Police lock down the downtown area in anticipation of the anniversary of last year's Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. The Governor has declared a state of emergency in Charlottesville

AP

Charlottesville one year on

A Police bike patrol takes a break in the downtown area in anticipation of the anniversary of last year's Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. State and local authorities framed the weekend's heightened security as a necessary precaution.

AP

Charlottesville one year on

State Police arrest a local resident, John Miska, in the locked down downtown area in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. Miska purchased razor blades, which are banned items, in a downtown drugstore. On the the anniversary of white supremacist violence, state and local authorities framed the weekend's heightened security as a necessary precaution.

AP

Charlottesville one year on

State Police escort local resident, John Miska, red hat, after he was arrested in the locked down downtown area in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. Miska purchased razor blades, which are banned items, in a downtown drugstore. On the the anniversary of white supremacist violence, state and local authorities framed the weekend's heightened security as a necessary precaution.

AP

Charlottesville one year on

A group Anti-fascism demonstrators, march in the downtown area in anticipation of the anniversary of last year's Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday,

AP

Charlottesville one year on

A group anti-fascism demonstrators march in the downtown area in anticipation of the anniversary of last year's Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va.,

AP

Charlottesville one year on

People receive first-aid after a car accident ran into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, VA on August 12, 2017. A vehicle plowed into a crowd of people Saturday at a Virginia rally where violence erupted between white nationalist demonstrators and counter-protesters, witnesses said, causing an unclear number of injuries

AFP/Getty

Charlottesville one year on

Alt-right rally members in Lee Park in Charlottesville, VA on Saturday August 12, 2017 White nationalist 'Unite the Right' rally, Charlottesville, USA

Rex

Charlottesville one year on

A counter protester who got hit with a stick by alt-right member covered with blood on his face in Lee Park in Charlottesville,

Rex

The so-called Unite the Right rally, which saw people march with Nazi symbols and torches, erupted in violence amid clashes with protesters. The rally’s purported original intention was to highlight opposition to plans to remove a statue of onetime confederate icon Robert E Lee.

The Miami Herald said another white nationalist leader, Richard Spencer, credited Mr Invictus with writing the so-called Charlottesville statement that claimed, among things, that “whites alone defined America as a European society and political order”.

White supremacist who killed woman after driving car into Charlottesville protesters begs judge to show him 'mercy'

Violence at the event resulted in the murder of a young woman, Heather Heyer, who was among the anti-Nazi protesters, and who was fatally injured when 20-year James Fields slammed a car into a group of people.

Fields was last year sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of parole, after pleading guilty to more than two dozen charges.

Donald Trump found himself at the centre of intense controversy after seeking to suggest there were “very fine people on both sides”.

In 2016, Mr Invictus failed in a Senate bid when tried to win the seat held by Marco Rubio.

The Herald said news of the arrest was first reported on Twitter by the journalist Nick Martin, who focuses on covering “hate and extremism”.

Jail records showed Mr Invictus was being held without bond and was due to appear before a judge on January 15.

Additional reporting by Associated Press

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