'Boogaloo' backer arrested, faces federal charges in Detroit

The FBI in Detroit has arrested a man who has described himself as a backer of the anti-government, pro-gun “boogaloo” movement

Boogaloo Boys-Arrest (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The FBI in Detroit has arrested a man who has described himself as a backer of the anti-government, pro-gun “boogaloo” movement.

Timothy Teagan is expected to appear later Wednesday in federal court, where charges will be unsealed, said FBI spokeswoman Mara Schneider.

His arrest Tuesday came a week before the midterm elections and with law enforcement increasingly concerned about political violence from far-right groups. Election workers have increasingly been targeted by threats and harassment since the 2020 election, and it’s only gotten worse in recent weeks, with federal authorities having charged at least five people already. Nationally, elections officials are concerned about a flood of conspiracy theorists signing up to work as poll watchers, with some groups that have trafficked in lies about the 2020 election recruiting and training watchers.

Teagan was among a dozen or so people who openly carried guns while demonstrating in January outside of the Michigan Capitol in Lansing. Some promoted the “boogaloo” movement, a slang term that refers to a second U.S. civil war.

Teagan told reporters then that the purpose of the demonstration was “to urge a message of peace and unity to the left and right, to the members of BLM, to Trump supporters to Three Percenter militias to antifa.” BLM refers to Black Lives Matter.

Some boogaloo promoters insist they aren’t genuinely advocating for violence. But the movement has been linked to a string of domestic terrorism plots. Department of Homeland Security has warned of potential domestic terrorism threats posed by boogaloo supporters.