Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Saturday that officials think "white supremacists" and "out-of-state instigators" could be behind the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, but a report showed that "about 86 percent" of arrests so far are mostly of in-state residents.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz also said Saturday that the majority of the protestors arrested were from outside Minneapolis and sought to take advantage of the chaos.
However, a report by KARE 11 showed "about 86 percent" of the 36 arrests listed their address in Minnesota, and that they live in Minneapolis or the metro area, according to data the outlet analyzed from the Hennepin County Jail's roster. Five out-of-state cases came from Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri, according to KARE 11.
The Minneapolis Mayor’s office and police department did not return Fox News' repeated calls for comment.
"We are now confronting white supremacists, members of organized crime, out of state instigators, and possibly even foreign actors to destroy and destabilize our city and our region," Frey had tweeted Saturday.
“I think our best estimate of what we heard are about 20 percent are Minnesotans, and 80 percent are outside,” Walz also said Saturday during a news conference, KARE 11 reported.
In a tweet posted Saturday, a person who appears to be Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison can be seen with a copy of "Antifa, the Anti-Fascist Handbook."
Officials are under pressure to address the at-times violent and destructive protests that broke out in the wake of Floyd's death, as demonstrations continued into a fourth day Saturday.
President Trump told Frey to “get tough and fight” in a tweet Saturday after the mayor and Walz called in the Minnesota National Guard.
Walz said he authorized the “full mobilization” of the National Guard by calling in 2,500 guardsmen, saying that this was “an action that has never been taken in the 164-year history of the Minnesota National Guard.”
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