WASHINGTON: Federal prosecutors in Texas have filed the first terrorism charges targeting antifa in connection with a police shooting case.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges on Thursday, citing President Donald Trump’s recent designation of the far-left anarchist movement as a terrorist organisation.
Cameron Arnold of Dallas and Zachary Evetts of Waxahachie face charges of providing support to terrorists for their alleged role in a non-fatal police shooting.
Both men were arrested in July alongside eight others and initially charged with attempted murder and weapons offences.
Court records indicate none of the defendants has entered a plea in the case yet.
Arnold and Evetts are scheduled to enter their pleas at an October 22 court hearing.
Their lawyers did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment about the new terrorism charges.
Patel celebrated the development on social media, calling it a first for law enforcement.
“First time ever: the FBI arrested Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists and terrorism charges have been brought for the July 4 Prairieland ICE attack in Texas,“ Patel stated.
The charges specifically accuse Arnold and Evetts of supporting terrorists generally rather than supporting a terrorist organisation.
Trump and Republican allies have accused antifa followers of fomenting political violence across multiple cities.
These accusations followed the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and protests against federal immigration authorities.
Trump signed an executive order in September officially designating antifa as a terrorist organisation.
Some national security law experts have questioned the legal basis for this designation.
They note that antifa, short for anti-fascist, lacks official leadership or organisational structure.
Prosecutors filed an indictment in Texas federal court on Wednesday detailing the new allegations.
The indictment alleges Arnold and Evetts belonged to an antifa “cell” that carried out a July 4 attack.
This attack targeted a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas.
Original charging documents from July contained no mention of antifa involvement in the incident.
Prosecutors described how alleged attackers shot fireworks and vandalised cars at the Prairieland Detention Facility.
An unnamed co-conspirator then allegedly opened fire on officers defending the facility.
This shooting resulted in a local police officer being struck in the neck. – Reuters
