NH Man Known for Involvement in Charlottesville Rally Arrested by FBI

Christopher Cantwell is accused of extortion and sending threatening messages through the Telegram messaging app

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Vice News Tonight via AP

A New Hampshire man involved in the "Unite the Right" rally and violence in Charlottesville, North Carolina in 2017 has been arrested by federal authorities, NBC News reports.

The FBI's Boston field office said Tuesday that Christopher Cantwell, 36, was taken into custody in Keene, New Hampshire, after being indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with extortion and sending interstate threats.

The indictment alleges that Cantwell threatened a man to get the personal identifying information of a man using an online pseudonym. He allegedly told the victim over Telegram that if he didn’t hand over the information he would attack his wife.

Cantwell came to be known online as “The Crying Nazi” after his extensive interviews with Vice News’ evening show that documented his experience through the rally.

He was seen on camera chanting “Jews will not replace us” and is a known conspiracy theorist who has had his social media accounts suspended and shut down.

The Anti-Defamation League has previously stated, “Cantwell has a history of promoting anti-police and anarchist rhetoric, but has recently moved toward the extreme right, and spoke at the neo-Nazi gathering in Pikeville, Kentucky.”

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