The US Department of Justice has filed terrorism charges against 18 individuals in Texas, alleging they were part of a 'North Texas antifa cell' that planned an attack at an ICE detention facility. The charges follow the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September, which prompted Donald Trump and his allies to pledge a crackdown on leftwing activists.
Prosecutors say the group plotted an attack at ICE's Prairieland detention facility, resulting in two correctional officers being shot at and a police officer sustaining a non-fatal gunshot wound. Fifteen people have been charged with providing material support for terrorism, along with other federal charges including rioting, carrying an explosive, firearms offences, and attempted murder of a federal employee.
Legal experts have expressed alarm over the case, arguing that prosecutors are attempting to create a criminal enterprise among demonstrators who were uninvolved in the shooting. Xavier de Janon, director of mass defence at the National Lawyers Guild, said the case could set a precedent for charging people with terrorism for 'very simple mainstream activism'.
Defence lawyers and family members of several defendants say their clients had nothing to do with antifa and did not know each other before the protest. The case has drawn concern that the Trump administration is using terrorism charges to crack down on political opponents and deter protesters.
