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| Fifth Column | |
| 8 accused of antifa ties convicted on terrorism charges over shooting at Texas immigration facility | |
| 2026-03-14 | |
| [Yahoo] A federal jury on Friday convicted eight people on terrorism charges over a shooting at a Texas immigration facility that federal prosecutors tied to antifa, the far-left movement that has become a target of the Trump administration. Jurors also handed down guilty verdicts on other charges, including attempted murder against one member of the group who prosecutors say opened fire last summer outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas, wounding a police officer who was shot in the neck. Sentencing was set for June. The trial was closely watched beyond the Fort Worth courtroom as some legal experts and critics called it a test of the lengths the government can go to punish protesters. Lawyers for the accused say they were not antifa members and had instead organized a "noise demonstration" that included fireworks to show support for immigrants who had been detained as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations. FBI Director Kash Patel has called the Texas case the first time a material support to terrorism charge has targeted people accused of being antifa members. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a news release Friday: "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." Short for "anti-fascists," antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations. PROTESTERS DENIED HAVING ANTIFA TIES Defense attorneys told jurors that there was no plan for violence on July 4 outside the facility in Alvarado. There were nine defendants on trial in all, eight of whom faced a charge of providing material support to terrorists. The ninth defendant was charged with corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents. He was found guilty of both. Lawyers for the defendants said their clients were not members of antifa. Prosecutor Shawn Smith told jurors during closing arguments that the group’s actions — including bringing firearms, first aid kids and wearing body armor — were all signals of the group's intent. He said they practiced "antifa tactics," and were "obsessed with operational security." "This was not a peaceful protest, this was a direct action," Smith said.
Related: Prairieland Detention Center: 2026-02-11 Palestinian woman detained by ICE in 2025 is hospitalized after seizure in detention Prairieland Detention Center: 2025-11-17 Antifa Leftists Indicted After ''Vicious'' July 4 ICE Facility Attack in Texas Prairieland Detention Center: 2025-10-17 Two Suspects Indicted on First Antifa-Related Terrorism Charges in Texas ICE Attack | |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #1 |
| Posted by: chris 2026-03-14 02:53 |