Final two members of Rise of the Moors group arraigned

MALDEN, Mass. — On Wednesday, the final two members of the Rise of the Moors group, whose standoff with Massachusetts State Police shut down a portion of Route 128 in Wakefield Saturday, appeared before a judge for arraignment.

At Malden District Court in Medford, Conald Pierre and John Doe #2 were arraigned one day after seven other members were arraigned in a set of arraignments that were often chaotic.

Wednesday’s arraignments contained fewer interruptions, but it was not free of trouble.

Conrad Pierre was ordered out of the courtroom when he initially addressed District Court Judge Emily Korstetter with “Who are you?”

Pierre screamed “This is injustice!” as he was led away. Pierre was later returned to the courtroom and arraigned.

Another man, known only as John Doe #2, refused to reveal his identity to the court, instead he shook his head side to side when Judge Korstetter asked him for his name.

John Doe #2, as well as John Doe #1, have been ordered to reveal their identities by Friday.

After Wednesday’s hearings, all 11 men arrested for Saturday’s stand-off have made their first appearances before a judge.

All of them are facing multiple weapons charges that could send group member to state prison for up to 10 years.

Early Saturday morning, a Massachusetts State Police Trooper encountered the men when their van allegedly ran out of gas in the emergency lane of Route 128 north in Wakefield.

The leader of the group, Jamal Tavan Sanders Lattimer, told police the Rise of the Moors group was traveling from its Rhode Island home to Maine for “training.”

Lattimer told State Police at the scene his group was nonviolent and it was not anti-government.

The group live-streamed much of the 7-hour stand-off over its social media platforms.

At this week’s arraignments, group members claimed they are foreign nationals, beyond the reach of U.S. law. Many refused their right to court-appointed attorneys.

On Friday, the Rise of the Moors defendants will be returned to Malden District Court for dangerousness hearings.

State Police say they recovered a cache of loaded rifles, handguns, ammunition and magazines from the group and that none of the times were licensed or properly stored.

Prosecutors are moving to have group members held without bail for at least four months before their trials begin.

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