A far-right extremist movement born on social media and fueled by anti-
government rhetoric has emerged as a real-world threat in recent weeks, with
federal authorities accusing some of its adherents of working to spark
violence at largely peaceful protests roiling the nation.

At a time when President Trump and other top U.S. officials have claimed �
with little evidence � that leftist groups were fomenting violence, federal
prosecutors have charged various supporters of a right-wing movement called
the �boogaloo bois,� with crimes related to plotting to firebomb a U.S.
Forest Service facility, preparing to use explosives at a peaceful
demonstration and killing a security officer at a federal courthouse.

Prosecutors even successfully argued before a federal magistrate in Texas
last week that a drug possession suspect with alleged boogaloo ties should be
denied bond because Facebook and Instagram posts advocating violence against
National Guard members and threatening to kill looters showed he was a
�threat to the community.�
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Boogaloo is more of a violent anti-government ideology than a formal
movement, say those who study extremist groups. They say they cannot identify
a leader, headquarters or command structure, just loosely affiliated social
media pages ranging from explicitly violent to merely commercial, peddling
boogaloo-themed merchandise.

But the visibility of boogaloo supporters at recent protests � dressed in
trademark Hawaiian shirts and carrying military-style rifles � had alarmed
researchers who for months had warned about the danger the groups posed.
U.S. Air Force Sgt. Steven Carrillo, 32, is seen in an image from
surveillance video outside a business near the location where he was arrested
in Ben Lomond, Calif., on June 6. (Justice Department/Reuters)
U.S. Air Force Sgt. Steven Carrillo, 32, is seen in an image from
surveillance video outside a business near the location where he was arrested
in Ben Lomond, Calif., on June 6. (Justice Department/Reuters)

Now federal prosecutors in California, Texas, Nevada and Colorado appear to
be endorsing those concerns with a series of criminal charges against self-
described boogaloo supporters, whose arrests often were accompanied by the
seizure of weapons and explosives.