EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: A federal grand jury has formally charged two individuals allegedly linked to Antifa with terrorism-related offenses following an Independence Day attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas.
The indictment, which was handed down on Wednesday and made public on Thursday, accuses Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts of providing material support for terrorism, attempting the murder of federal officers, and discharging firearms during these attempts.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced, “For the first time, the FBI has apprehended anarchist violent extremists and charged these Antifa-affiliated suspects with providing material support to terrorism.”
Patel further explained, “This was a premeditated and organized terrorist assault on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where armed extremists attempted to kill U.S. officers on July 4th.”
On the day of the incident, a group launched an attack on corrections and police officers outside the Prairieland Detention Center. The assailants used fireworks and graffiti to create a diversion before opening fire on the officers with semiautomatic rifles.
Patel also stated, “Under the new directives from President Trump, we are moving swiftly. So far, the FBI has arrested over 20 individuals connected to this case and associated Antifa networks. We will not allow anyone to endanger law enforcement officers on our watch.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi also hailed the charges, vowing further prosecutions against Antifa members.
Arnold and Evetts are alleged to have participated in the ambush of federal agents at the ICE detention facility along with nine others. Authorities say the suspects used fireworks as a distraction while vandalizing vehicles outside the facility.
When police began to respond, the indictment says, Arnold yelled, “Get to the rifles!”
The 10 suspects in the ambush attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas are seen in front of a photo from the scene of the crime. Top row, left to right: Marciela Rueda, Savanna Batten, Joy Gibson, Meagan Morris a.k.a. Bradford Morris, Autumn Hill a.k.a. Cameron Arnold. Bottom row, left to right: Zachary Evetts, Nathan Baumann, Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, Seth Sikes. (Johnson County Sheriff’s Office)
“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. Coconspirator-1 continued to fire additional rounds until his rifle jammed. The attackers then left the scene,” the indictment reads.
Ten individuals have been charged for their roles in the shooting of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center. (U.S, Separtment of Justice.)
The charges come weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization.
