Overview
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson were arrested in connection with the Jan. 18 disruption at Cities Church in St. Paul.
- A Minnesota grand jury indicted nine people, including journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, on conspiracy against rights and FACE Act counts tied to the church service interruption.
- Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles and released on his own recognizance, asserting he was reporting; his attorney and media groups criticized the case, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass denounced the prosecution.
- A Department of Homeland Security affidavit alleges 30–40 agitators disrupted worship, intimidated congregants, and caused an injury as people fled, which DOJ cites to justify enforcing protections for houses of worship.
- After a magistrate judge initially rejected warrants and a complaint, prosecutors secured a grand-jury indictment; Newsweek reported 22 total arrests connected to the case, and DOJ signaled more enforcement actions could follow.