White supremacists fined $6.3m

Aryan Nations members from the 20-acre big compound

A woman and her son who were chased and beaten by two security guards from one of America's most extreme white-supremacist groups have been awarded $6.3m by a jury on Thursday.

The Idaho jury found Aryan Nations' 83-year-old leader Richard Butler, his chief of staff and the group's corporate body to be negligent in overseeing the guards.

For too long the Aryan Nations compound has been a haven for violent racists

Keenan's lawyer

The guards attacked passing motorists Victoria and Jason Keenan after they stopped to search for a dropped wallet outside the group's sprawling Idaho compound.

The Keenans said they were chased in a truck, shot at and forced in a ditch where they were beaten with rifle butts.

The two men, Jesse Warfield and John Yeager - who are serving prison terms for the assaults - said they mistook a car backfire for a gunshot.

Sending a message

The civil suit was brought on the Keenans' behalf by the Southern Poverty Law Centre.

Victoria Keenan tearfully hugged her son at the verdict

SPLC's lawyer Morris Dees asked the jury to send a message to hate groups across the nation.

"You are the conscience of this community," he said. "For too long the Aryan Nations compound has been a haven for violent racists."

Both Warfield and Yeager said Mr Butler shared no blame for the incident but the jury of mostly women ordered him and the Aryan Nations to pay $4.8m in damages and his chief of staff, Michael Teague, to pay $600,000.

Warfield and Yeager were also ordered to pay damages of $600,000.

Mr Dees, who has also won large awards against other hate groups, said he hoped the penalty would be sufficient to bankrupt the Aryan Nations group.

Jason Keenan described his lawyers as heroes. "I guess all I can say is justice has prevailed and yes, we have won," he said.

Butler defiant

Mr Butler, 83, was defiant after the verdict. "You can't stop us," he said.

Richard Butler: Unrepentant

"I'm still in business and I'll remain in business until the day I die."

"Most of north Idaho now is filled with people who don't want multiculturalism."

The Aryan Nations has been described as a highly organised and dangerous group. It has been linked to a number of vicious hate crimes.