In a first, the Department of Justice has unsealed a federal grand jury indictment charging two individuals connected to Antifa with terrorism-related offenses in connection with a violent July 4 attack on the Prairieland Detention Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas.
The indictment, unsealed Thursday, marks the first federal terrorism prosecution explicitly tied to Antifa since President Donald Trump designated the group as a domestic terrorist organization earlier this fall.
According to the DOJ, the attack involved at least 11 individuals who formed what prosecutors called a “North Texas Antifa Cell.” The group allegedly launched a coordinated assault using fireworks and graffiti as distractions before opening fire on responding officers with semiautomatic rifles from concealed positions near the facility. Dozens of rounds were fired, and one police officer was struck in the neck but survived.
Prosecutors say the group conducted surveillance of the ICE facility and surrounding police stations in advance, sharing maps and tactical notes via encrypted messaging apps. Investigators also cited messages from the group expressing anti-law enforcement sentiment, including statements rejecting “peaceful protest” and celebrating violence against police.
Two of the accused, Cameron Arnold (also known as Autumn Hill) and Zachary Evetts, were among ten people initially arrested in July on state charges. The new federal indictment in the Northern District of Texas adds terrorism-related counts, including providing material support to terrorists, attempted murder of US officers and employees, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
If convicted, the defendants face up to life in federal prison. A federal judge in Fort Worth has ordered both, along with six others connected to the case, to remain in custody pending trial.
The Justice Department’s filing describes Antifa as a decentralized network that “ascribes to revolutionary anarchist and autonomous Marxist ideology.” The indictment alleges the Texas cell was armed with more than 50 weapons purchased locally and had undergone firearms and close-quarters combat training.
The FBI has made more than 20 arrests nationwide in connection with the attack and related Antifa-linked activity, with officials crediting President Trump’s September executive order granting new authorities to treat Antifa as a terrorist organization.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a public statement that this was “the first time ever” that terrorism charges had been brought against Antifa-aligned violent extremists. Attorney General Pam Bondi called Antifa “a left-wing terrorist organization” and vowed full prosecution. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced earlier this month that his office is launching undercover operations aimed at identifying and dismantling “leftist terror cells” across the state.
The Prairieland case will become pivotal as it proceeds through the courts, possibly becoming a model for future prosecutions under the new terrorism framework.
2 thoughts on “Unmasking Antifa: Federal terrorism charges filed against alleged terrorist operatives in Texas”
The so-called “Antifa” movement had ostensible origins in post WWI Europe and 1960s USA. Today’s US Antifa movement gained notoriety in the 2010’s. Their activities have been denoted by rioting, vandalism, terrorism, murder and general mayhem to attract attention. Sadly, leftist municipal and state political structures have been very tolerant of Antifa criminality—thereby signaling they will never be held accountable for their crimes. Consequently, Antifa is ramping up their criminality to a more and more serious level. When politicians fail to act as adults the result will be mayhem, anarchy and overall societal breakdown. We all must boldly speak out against, and be intolerant of, the promotion of lawlessness from the left.
According to the leftists, there’s nothing to see here as Antifa does not exist. The levels of gaslighting that the left is involved in makes a person wonder if they truly believe what they are saying, or if they just think Americans are that stupid.