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NYC mayor announces investigation into law enforcement, after report that some officers were involved in a far-right extremist group

Oct 2, 2021, 08:13 IST
Insider
NYPD police officers watch demonstrators in Times Square on June 1, 2020, during a "Black Lives Matter" protest. TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images
  • A report alleges that several New York City law enforcement officers are involved in a far-right group.
  • Members of the far-right group were present during the Capitol riot; 18 have been charged.
  • Mayor de Blasio stated that a full investigation will occur immediately.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that he is "real concerned" about the possible presence of far-right extremists and Capitol riot insurrectionists in New York City law enforcement and called for an immediate investigation.

His comments follow a Thursday report from WNYC and Gothamist that looked at online records that a hacker released and claimed were membership and email information for the Oath Keepers, an anti-government, far-right extremist group. Per the report, the info was given to a non-profit and then distributed to researchers and journalists; it's unclear if the records are for currently active members of the Oath Keepers.

According to the WNYC and Gothamist report, two names from the online records appear to be active New York Police Department officers, though the names could not be confirmed. Several other names of public officials from New York were found in the records, but when contacted by WNYC and Gothamist, they said they were no longer active members of the group.

Members of the Oath Keepers group were present during the January 6 insurrection; 18 members of the group have already been charged.

The mayor stated that there will be a full investigation of law enforcement to weed out any potential participants in the January 6 Capitol riot. The investigation will also look into law enforcement involvement in far-right extremist organizations like the Oath Keepers.

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"Look, organizations that supported the insurrection on January 6th and Washington organizations that are trying to destroy our democratic freedoms undermine our nation, undermine our people - that's very, very troubling to me that anyone would want to be a part of that," de Blasio said at a Thursday press briefing.

The NYPD and the office of the mayor did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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