Thirty-one members of the white supremacist group “Patriot Front” were arrested in Idaho’s downtown Coeur d’Alene on Saturday (June 11) for planning to riot at a Pride event, according to police.

“It is clear to us based on the gear that the individuals had with them, the stuff they had in their possession, the U-Haul with them along with paperwork that was seized from them, that they came to riot downtown,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said during a news conference.

After receiving a tip from a concerned citizen, the police detained and charged the 31 individuals with conspiracy to riot, which is a misdemeanor charge in Idaho, White said. He added that the suspects traveled from at least 11 different states including Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Virginia. At least one of the members lived in Idaho.

The U-Haul truck they were detained in was only a few miles away from North Idaho Pride Alliance’s “Pride in the Park,” an annual event at Coeur d’Alene City Park.

“And they were all dressed like a small army,” said Bob Norris, the sheriff of Kootenai County. “We had units in their area, and we were able to intercept them pretty quickly.”

Many of the men had shields and wore shinguards. Along with the paperwork that appeared to show a master plan to riot both at the Pride event and along the main commercial strip of downtown Coeur d’Alene, the police recovered one smoke grenade in the truck, they said. They did not mention any other weapons.

The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks extremist organizations and hate crimes, describes “Patriot Front” as a Texas-based white supremacist group that formed when members of another white supremacist group, “Vanguard America,” broke off after the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The FBI is assisting local police in its investigation, according to FBI Public Affairs Specialist Sandra Yi Barker.