Eight 'Antifa cell members' convicted over Texas ICE facility shooting that left police officer injured
Eight people with alleged ties to a far-left militant group have been convicted on terrorism-related charges following a shooting at a Texas immigration detention centre.
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One person was also found guilty of attempted murder after prosecutors say he opened fire last summer outside the Prairieland Detention Center outside of Fort Worth, injuring a police officer.
The Justice Department said the attack was plotted by antifa - a far-left anti-facsit organisation designated as a “Terrorist Threat” by Donald Trump’s White House.
Antifa does not refer to a single organisation but is used as an umbrella term for left-wing militant groups that confront the far-right.
The convictions come after a trial lasting nearly three weeks. It was presided over by US District Judge Mark Pittman, who was appointed by Trump.
FBI Director Kash Patel had said the case marked the first time charges of providing material support to terrorists had targeted people with alleged antifa links.
The nine defendants were trialled together and faced a flurry of charges including providing material support to terrorists, rioting, attempted murder, firearms and explosive charges.
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They were all convicted of all charges they faced.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said following the verdict: “Antifa is a domestic terrorist organization that has been allowed to flourish in Democrat-led cities – not under President Trump,
“Today’s verdict on terrorism charges will not be the last as the Trump administration systematically dismantles Antifa and finally halts their violence on America’s streets.”
ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said: “The calculated, violent attack at ICE’s Prairieland facility was an abhorrent way for antifa terrorists to ‘protest’ the way this agency enforces the law — but these verdicts make clear that those who choose violence over lawful expression will face the full force of the American justice system.”
“The men and women who serve at these facilities deserve to do their jobs without facing intimidation or violence. Let today’s outcome serve as a warning: Those who target federal officers with intimidation, ambush tactics or political violence will be investigated, prosecuted and held accountable.”
However, lawyers for the defendants denied the presence of any antifa links and argued they had simply been attending a demonstration with fireworks before gunshots broke out.
They said there was no planned ambush and that protesters who carried firearms to the event did so for their own protection only.
They said most protesters started leaving when two guards from the centre exited the building before any shots were fired.
Prosecutors said Benjamin Song, a former US Marine Corps reservist, then shouted “get to the rifles” and opened fire, hitting one police officer who had just arrived.
The DFW Support Committee, a coalition backing the defendants, said it was “heartbroken” by the verdict as the group hit out at the “sham trial” it claims is politically motivated.
The group wrote on X: “This is only the beginning. We will continue to fight the remaining charges until every defendant is home.
“Everything about this trial from beginning to end has proven what we have said all along: this is a sham trial, built on political persecution and ideological attacks coming from the top.”
The case marked a major test to see whether the Trump administration could use a wide-ranging anti-terrorism statute to prosecute leftwing protesters.
It comes after Trump administration officials vowed to go after left-wing groups, including antifa, following the assassination of influential right-wing commentator and activist Charlie Kirk.