Overview
- Texas DPS and FBI agents arrested 40‑year‑old Benny Caldera Jr. at his Converse home around 3 a.m. Wednesday after an overnight investigation into a reported threat to the Texas State Capitol.
- Caldera was charged at the state level with a felony terroristic threat against a public servant, held on a $75,000 bond, and later taken into federal custody after searches found a loaded shotgun and a loaded revolver with its serial number filed off.
- Court documents quoted by reporters say a friend told investigators Caldera threatened to “shoot up” the Capitol and made violent anti‑AIPAC remarks, though those allegations are part of the active investigation and are not adjudicated findings.
- Texas DPS notified lawmakers, kept the Capitol open for regular hours while increasing its security presence, and repeatedly said there is no identified ongoing threat even as investigators withhold operational details.
- Officials credit the Fusion Center tip for averting the plot and investigators are now examining Caldera’s devices, looking for co‑conspirators, and preparing federal charges that could carry additional prison time.