At about 8 p.m. on Saturday night, October 16, 1971, military police arrived to arrest the five men.

After meeting with Rev. Thede, the men voluntarily left the building and were arrested.

"They walked out one-by-one and were met outside by the [military police] captain, who explained that they were under arrest, that he wanted each man's identification card but that each should keep his wallet." Rev. Gaius Thede, quoted in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.