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Five Plead Guilty in Texas ICE Attack in First Antifa Terrorism Case

This marks the first use of material-support terrorism statutes against Antifa-linked defendants.

Overview

  • Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Seth Sikes, Lynette Sharp and John Thomas pleaded guilty in Fort Worth to one count each of providing material support to terrorists.
  • Prosecutors say masked participants targeted ICE’s Prairieland Detention Center on July 4 with gunfire and fireworks, and an Alvarado police officer was shot in the neck.
  • A federal grand jury separately indicted nine others on broader charges including attempted murder, explosives offenses and rioting, with arraignments set for December 3.
  • Court filings state Baumann, Gibson and Sikes were present the night of the attack, while Sharp and Thomas helped the suspected shooter avoid arrest until July 15.
  • The FBIDallas led a multi-agency investigation, and the case follows President Trump’s designation of Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization that some legal experts say lacks clear statutory authority.