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Philadelphia, PA – The alleged leader of a Philadelphia antifa group has been arrested in connection with the mob beating of two U.S. Marine Corps reservists outside the “We the People” rally on Nov. 17.
The incident occurred at approximately 3:20 p.m., when a group of male and female counter-protesters attacked several military reservists while calling them “white supremacists” and “Nazis,” the Courier Post reported.
After pummeling and macing the military personnel, one of the attackers made off with a cell phone belonging to one of the victims.
Tom Keenan, 33, turned himself in last week, after the Philadelphia Police Department released video footage from the area in an attempt to identify the perpetrators, Philadelphia Magazine reported.
A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson said that the case remains open, as investigators continue to search for the other suspects responsible for the assault.
Keenan has been charged with two counts each of terroristic threats, criminal conspiracy, simple assault, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment, but was not charged for the robbery.
In 2007, Keenan was arrested during a counter-protest at an alleged Ku Klux Klan rally near City Hall.
He was charged with institutional vandalism, criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief, and resisting arrest, among other counts.
Despite the slew of offenses leveraged against him, Keenan struck a plea deal and was convicted of a single count of disorderly conduct.
Approximately 500 counter-protesters clashed with about 50 “We the People” members who showed up to the rally at the Independence National Park on Nov. 17, The Inquirer reported.
Counter-protesters, including antifa, the Philly Socialists, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the socialist, antifa-affiliated group, “Fellow Worker Gritty Coalition,” converged at the site of the rally, alleging that the “We the People” attendees were “Nazis” and “Proud Boys,” the Metro New York reported.
Several members of the leftist organizations were arrested during the event, including 23-year-old Brian Glantz, who allegedly punched Philadelphia Police Captain John O’Hanlon in the side of his head, according to The Inquirer.
As police took Glantz into custody, he continued “kicking his legs and wrestling with the officers and park rangers,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia told the Courier Post.
“Assaulting a law enforcement agent – whether a federal, state, or local officer – is a crime that I take very seriously,” U.S. Attorney William McSwain said in a press release.
“There is no excuse for it. No matter who you are, if you assault an officer and there is federal jurisdiction, I will bring the full weight of my Office down upon you,” McSwain said.
Glantz was ultimately charged with federal and state offenses of assaulting an officer in the performance of official duties, the Courier Post reported.
Meanwhile, a 34-year-old Jewish man outside of the rally was beaten by counter-protesters, after they “misidentified” him as a “Proud Boy,” the Metro New York reported.
The man was head-butted during the attack, and ultimately fled the area in a cab.
“Leftists orgs in Philly” subsequently established a fundraiser to help the man their members assaulted, but made no apologies for the attack on the man, and had raised just $55 as of Tuesday morning.
“We understand there will be questions about ‘antifa attacking a Jewish man,’’ the groups said in a collective statement. “Our official statement is we do not know who the instigators are because of the numerous amount of out of towners participating in the rallies.”
“We are working to identify them within our organizations, and we would like to express our condolances to the person who was attacked,” the statement read. “This fund is for that person, to support them in their recovery and in a show of unified solidarity against fascism.”