Alleged Antifa Members Indicted on Charges of Providing Support to Terrorists

Two alleged members of a Texas cell of the far-left extremist group Antifa have been charged with providing material support to terrorists, in the first terrorism-related charges brought against people allegedly linked to the network over an attack against law enforcement officers that unfolded on July 4.

Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts violated federal law, which prohibits providing material support or resources while knowing or intending that the support or resources are to be used to prepare for or carry out acts of terrorism, a grand jury stated in the new indictment, which was filed in federal court in Texas on Oct. 15.

The charge carries up to 15 years in prison.

James Luster, an attorney representing Arnold, told The Epoch Times in an email that “the addition of the Material Support to Terrorism count in the indictment could be viewed as the government’s imaginative stretch to find a charge that they think better fits the facts, and the government’s invocation of ‘terrorism’ could be understood by some as an attempt to appeal to a mob mentality rather than relying on the evidence and the law.”

President Donald Trump, or POTUS, in September declared Antifa a domestic terrorist group.

“As POTUS has made clear, Antifa is a left-wing terrorist organization,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an Oct. 16 post on X. “They will be prosecuted as such.”

Arnold and Evetts were among 10 people charged by prosecutors in July over the attack, which took place at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Texas late on July 4.

The indictment adds the new terrorism-related charges and more details that have been gathered by investigators.

It states that after an Alvarado Police Department officer arrived after being called by federal officers, Arnold yelled to “get to the rifles.” It accuses Arnold of being the person who opened fire shortly thereafter, striking the officer in the neck.

The officer survived the shooting.

The criminal complaint states that 10 to 12 individuals wearing black arrived at the Prairieland Detention Center facility. It did not mention Antifa. The indictment states that at least 11 operatives from an Antifa cell in North Texas were at the center.

According to the new filing, Arnold was looked to as a leader in the cell and was alleged to have trained members to use firearms and engage in close-quarters combat.

The cell was armed with more than 50 guns, with numerous firearms allegedly having been purchased or built by Arnold.

The indictment also alleges that the cell used an unnamed encrypted messaging application to communicate in the days leading up to the attack. The stated goal was to destroy government property and intimidate the government, it states.

“I’m done with peaceful protests,” one member allegedly wrote. “Blue lives don’t matter.”

Members allegedly discussed logistics, previous reconnaissance of the immigration facility, locations of security cameras, a map of the facility and surrounding areas, plans on what materials to bring, and which guns to take along.

Arnold is alleged to have said they would use rifles to intimidate law enforcement.

“Cops are not trained or equipped for more than one rifle so it tends to make them back off,” he allegedly wrote in one message.

Many of the messages were set to auto-delete and have been permanently deleted, authorities said.

Officials previously said that Arnold was found at a residence identified as a staging location. He admitted to being at the immigration center during the attack, according to authorities.

Evetts is the registered owner of a Mazda CX-5 that was seen at the center during and after the assault. He was found by law enforcement at approximately 2 a.m. on July 5, walking along a highway about three miles from the facility, according to court documents.

The indictment kept intact earlier charges against Arnold and Evetts, including attempted murder of federal officers and the local officer.

Arnold and Evetts are scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 22 at the federal courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas.