2 Antifa members charged with terrorism after attacking ICE facility in Texas

Two alleged Antifa members were charged on Wednesday with providing material support for terrorism following an attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas on July 4.

According to Fox News, Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts were indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday on charges of providing material support for terrorism, as well as multiple counts of attempting to murder federal and local law enforcement officials and discharging firearms during the attempted murders.

In a statement to Fox News, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel said, “For the first time ever, the FBI has arrested anarchist violent extremists and charged these Antifa-aligned individuals with material support to terrorism.”

“This was a planned and coordinated terrorist attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where armed extremists tried to murder U.S. officers on July 4th,” Patel added.

“We are executing under President Trump’s new authorities at record speed. To date, the FBI has made over 20 arrests tied to this case and related Antifa networks. No one gets to harm law enforcement. Not on our watch.”

According to court documents, during the July 4 attack on the Prairieland Detention Center, Arnold and Evetts allegedly joined in an ambush of federal agents along with nine other Antifa members. Law enforcement officials responded after Antifa members started shooting fireworks at the ICE facility and vandalizing a guard shed and multiple vehicles. 

When law enforcement officials responded to the scene, Arnold allegedly shouted, “Get to the rifles!”

“Seconds later, coconspirator-1 [Arnold] opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado officer in the neck area as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. The wounded officer fell to the ground but was able to return a few shots,” the indictment states. “Coconspirator-1 continued to fire additional rounds until his rifle jammed. The attackers then left the scene.”

The charges against Arnold and Evetts come after President Donald Trump issued an executive order last month that officially designated Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” At the time, the president described Antifa as a “militarist, anarchist enterprise.”

Commenting on Wednesday’s charges against Arnold and Evetts, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted, “As @POTUS has made clear, Antifa is a left-wing terrorist organization. They will be prosecuted as such.”