Rupert is an “outsider” though far short of Moscow. He lives in Galesburg, Illinois.
The prosecutors filed a complaint stating “In the video, Rupert passes out explosive he indicates he possessed, encourages others to throw his explosives at law enforcement officers, actively damages property, appears to light a fire a building on fire and loots businesses in Minneapolis.”
Rupert tried to hand out the explosives and is quoted as telling another individual “light that bitch and throw it at them.” The other individual did just that and threw the explosive at the police. Rupert seemed to claim in court that these were fireworks, which could be a significant defense against the more serious charges if proven. His political views are unknown currently.
It is clear that radicals are flocking to hot spots to foster rioting and attacks on police. It is also likely that, particularly on the Internet foreign and white supremacists and other groups are fueling the rioting. Some white supremacists are likely to also be present at these riots. However, the notion that the riots are primarily or substantially the result of such groups is implausible. The rioting was too spontaneous and widespread to fit such a theory. Police are reporting the arrest of many from anarchist and Antifa groups in various cities, as discussed in the earlier column.