The FBI announced Wednesday it has arrested two Oregon brothers who have participated in violent far-right protests in Salem and Washington, D.C.
A grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted the men on six charges, ranging from conspiracy to destruction of government property and entering a restricted building.
Matthew Leland Klein, 24, and Jonathanpeter Allen Klein, 21, are the first Oregonians charged with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The brothers were arrested by the FBI on Tuesday. Jonathanpeter Klein was arrested outside Heppner in Eastern Oregon and appeared in court via telephone from the Umatilla County Jail on Tuesday. Matthew Klein was arrested near Sherwood and also appeared remotely in court.
Both men are detained. On Wednesday, Matthew Klein was ordered into custody by a federal judge, while Jonathanpeter Klein will take up that issue before a judge in Washington, D.C., where the cases are being transferred.
The indictment alleges that Jonathanpeter Klein is a self-described member of the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group that often engages in violence at protests and played a central role in the insurrection.
On Dec. 29, the brothers reportedly purchased airline tickets using cash. They flew from Portland to Pennsylvania on Jan. 4, court documents state. The next day, they traveled to Washington, D.C.
Court documents spell out in detail how the brothers assisted other members of the crowd in climbing a wall to gain access to the upper west terrace of the Capitol. The Kleins then entered the building, and celebrated with another member of the Proud Boys screaming, “proud of your f*cking boy,” the documents state.
The Kleins then allegedly exited the building and forced open a door on the building’s north side. Seeing federal law enforcement officers on the other side of the door, prosecutors said, Matthew Klein put on goggles and advanced on the officers carrying a Gadsden flag affixed to a flagpole.
“The defendants’ actions created a dangerous scenario that directly interfered with law enforcement’s efforts to secure the building,” the indictment reads. “That they did so as part of a second or third wave of attacks — with knowledge of the mayhem that had already unfolded at the Capitol — shows their reckless disregard for others and the danger posed by these two actors.”
In addition to the outlining evidence of their involvement in the insurrection, the indictment includes pages of photos and details on the brothers’ activity with the Proud Boys at protests in Oregon.
Portland proud boy rally pic.twitter.com/GsofjA4RXm
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) September 26, 2020
Photos in the indictment allegedly show Jonathanpeter Klein in body armor while he carried a baseball bat and paintball gun during protests at the Oregon State Capitol on Sept. 7, 2020, that turned violent. During that same event, which prosecutors allege Matthew Klein also attended, Jonathanpeter Klein was recorded by multiple OPB reporters as he appeared to chase a Black Lives Matter protester.
Proud boys bull rush BLM, take baseball bat to man, then proud boy punches man on the ground, woman then maces him on the ground pic.twitter.com/rouWGGm8bM
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) September 7, 2020
Matthew Klein is currently facing misdemeanor charges in Multnomah County for possession of loaded firearms at a subsequent Sept. 26 Proud Boys rally in Portland. A younger brother, Phillip Edward Klein, is also facing misdemeanor charges for carrying a loaded weapon at the same rally.
Shortly after the Jan. 6 attack, OPB was able to identify at least three people who had participated in both the insurrection and a Dec. 21 rally and break-in at the Oregon Capitol. None of those men have been arrested yet.
Copyright 2021 Oregon Public Broadcasting.
