Ten arrested after plotting to ‘ambush' and kill ICE officers

Telegraph

7 hours ago

Ten people have been arrested on attempted murder charges after plotting to 'ambush' and kill Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, officials said.
People dressed in black military-style clothing and body armour allegedly lured officials at the Texas immigration detention centre outside, before opening fire and injuring a police officer.
The group tried to draw officials outside at the Prairieland Detention Centre in Alvarado on Friday, shooting fireworks, damaging cars and vandalising the facility with graffiti, writing words such as 'traitor' and 'ICE pig', officials said.
The commotion 'seemed to be designed to draw US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel outside the facility, and it worked,' Nancy Larson, acting US attorney for the northern district of Texas, said at a news conference.
'It was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers,' she added.
Officer shot in neck
Two unarmed corrections officers came outside to speak with the group. At some point, the Alvarado police officer arrived and was shot in the neck by someone who was in the woods, Ms Larson said.
The officer was treated at a hospital and released, the Johnson County Sheriff's office said.
'Another assailant, who was across the street, nowhere near the corrections officers, shot 20 to 30 rounds at these unarmed corrections officers,' she said.
'There was an AR-style rifle found at the scene' that was jammed, she said. A flag saying 'Resist fascism, fight oligarchy,' and flyers with words such as 'Fight ICE' also were recovered near the facility, she said.
The group fled, but sheriff deputies stopped seven people about 300 yards (274 metres) from where the officer was shot.
'Some were wearing body armour, some were covered in mud, some were armed, and some had two-way radios on them,' Ms Larson said.
Border Patrol shooting
The Independence Day shooting came as the Trump administration has continued to ramp up its deportation efforts, which will be turbocharged by Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that became law last week.
The shooting happened three days before a man with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at federal agents and a US Border Patrol facility more than 400 miles (643 kilometers) south in McAllen on Monday, injuring a police officer, before authorities shot and killed him.
Asked if the shooting was connected to what happened in McAllen, Ms Larson said she could not comment as it is an 'ongoing investigation'.
In Alvarado, officers discovered masks, goggles, tactical gloves, more body armour, weapons, spray paint and fireworks in further searches, Ms Larson said.
The 10 suspects were each charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
Another person was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence, Ms Larson said.
Staff at the Prairieland centre have been given extra protection, Josh Johnson, acting Enforcement and Removal Operations field office director in Dallas, said.
Anger among Democrats
It comes as House Democrats told Axios there was growing anger among their base, with some supporters urging lawmakers to ratchet their efforts to resist Mr Trump's administration to violence.
'This idea that we're going to save every norm and that we're not going to play [Republicans'] game ... I don't think that's resonating with voters anymore,' one elected Democrat told the website.
'We've got people who are desperately wanting us to do something... no matter what we say, they want [more],' Brad Schneider, the chairman of the centre-Left New Democrat Coalition, told Axios.
Another House Democrat said some voters had suggested 'what we really need to do is be willing to get shot' when visiting ICE facilities or federal agencies
'Our own base is telling us that what we're doing is not good enough ... [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,' the lawmaker said.