Overview
- A federal grand jury has indicted nine people, including journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort, on conspiracy and FACE Act charges tied to the Jan. 18 disruption at Cities Church in St. Paul.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said Monday that Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson were arrested, and later told Fox News that all nine charged individuals are now in custody.
- Lemon was taken into custody in Los Angeles and released without bail; he says he was acting as a journalist and has vowed to fight the charges, drawing support from CNN and free-press advocates.
- Earlier efforts to secure emergency warrants were rejected by federal judges, leading prosecutors to pursue a grand-jury indictment as legal arguments over probable cause and the FACE Act’s scope continue.
- A DHS affidavit describes 30–40 agitators entering the church, blocking aisles and stairwells, frightening congregants including children, forcing the service to end early and leaving one woman injured.