Federal judge orders release of Seattle Proud Boy pending trial over U.S. Capitol insurrection

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the release of a Seattle Proud Boy, accused of participating in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, pending his trial.

Ethan Nordean is charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Chief Judge Beryl Howell in Washington DC was not convinced that Nordean was a danger to the public, NPR reports.

Howell said that prosecutors did not convince her that Nordean "directed the Proud Boys with specific plans, telling them to split up into groups and attempt to break in to the Capitol building." She further said that while prosecutors alleged Nordean had more of a leadership role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, that allegation is "a far cry from what I heard at the hearing today."

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While Nordean was previously ordered to DC to face charges, the judge ordered that he be released from custody. He is now ordered to stay confined to his home in Auburn with electronic monitoring, KIRO 7 reports.

Federal prosecutors allege that a leader of Seattle's Proud Boys chapter was one of the instigators of the January 6 Capitol attacks. Nordean and his legal counsel have denied the allegations.

In court documents filed Monday, federal prosecutors allege that Ethan Nordean was elected to have "war powers" in the Proud Boys and led the group with "specific plans" to break into the Capitol building and prevent Congress' work.

Nordean says his phone was dead that day. But prosecutors say he used a portable radio, on specific frequencies, to communicate his plans. They say he used a Ham radio as a walkie talkie to communicate with others.

Nordean's lawyers deny that he had this specific radio on January 6 in a new court filing, stating that "Nordean actually just walked around the Capitol grounds with his hands in his pockets."

Nordean has not yet entered any pleas in the case.