The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent is seen at the airport in El Paso, Texas, U.S., May 10, 2023.

The Department of Justice brought terrorism-related charges against two people allegedly aligned with antifa who participated in an attack on an immigration facility in Texas that left an officer with a gunshot wound.

A Texas grand jury on Thursday, Oct. 16, charged Cameron Arnold and Zachary Evetts with providing material support to terrorists. In July, the two were arrested with eight others and charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses.

The indictment claims two men were part of an "Antifa Cell" that planned and carried out an attack on Prairieland Detention Center outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area on July 4.

"First time ever: the FBI arrested Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremists and terrorism charges have been brought for the July 4 Prairieland ICE attack in Texas," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement on Oct. 16. "No one gets to harm law enforcement. Not on my watch."

The indictment comes after President Donald Trump designated antifa as a major terrorist organization, vowing to go after its funding as part of a broader crackdown on left-leaning groups.

Antifa – short for "anti-fascist" – is not an organized political group in the traditional sense, experts say. It is considered a decentralized movement that has no unifying organizational structure or detailed ideology, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, the independent research arm of Congress.

Patrick J. McLain, an attorney representing Evetts, said his client will plead not guilty to the charges in the indictment, including providing material support to terrorists. McLain said Evetts was not a part of a coordinated attack and refuted the government's claim that he was an "Antifa Cell Member."

"Evetts did not have a firearm on his person at all and he did not assist, encourage or otherwise promote the use of firearms that night," McLain told USA TODAY, adding Evetts "didn't want to cause anybody harm, quite the opposite."

Arnold's attorney, Cody L. Cofer, said there's an "absence of evidence" tying his client to any criminal wrongoing and he looks forward to a speedy and public trial.

Here's what we know about the ICE facility attack

The indictment claims that ahead of the July 4 incident, a group of people aligned with antifa used an encrypted messaging app to discuss the layout of the Prairieland facility, the location of nearby police stations and what materials to bring to the facility, including firearms.

At least 11 people dressed in black arrived at the facility late on Independence Day, including some wearing body armor and carrying firearms, the indictment says. At some point, some members of the group began shooting fireworks at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

After an Alvarado police officer arrived at the scene, at least one person associated with the group opened fire and struck the officer in the neck, according to the indictment. The officer fell to the ground but fired back before he was rushed to the hospital and treated for his wounds.

Prosecutors said dozens of rounds were fired during the incident. The building and several police vehicles were vandalized with graffiti slogans including "traitor" and "ICE Pig."

Within days, at least 10 people, including Arnold and Evetts, were arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of using a firearm in committing a violent crime.

Evetts' lawyer said the people outside the ICE facility were "loosely affiliated" and "mostly don't know each other well," though they all have a common interest in protesting government overreach.

McLain said he reviewed the chat mentioned in the indictment and said it contained messages in which several people advised not to bring firearms to the demonstration. He said Evett was there exercising his First Amendment rights and believes his client will be acquitted.

"We're going to work very hard to make sure that we move toward an acquittal," he said. "The evidence does not show, certainly not beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Evetts committed any offenses."

Contributing: Josh Meyer, Michael Loria; Reuters

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Antifa-aligned' men face terrorism charges in July ICE attack, FBI director says

Reporting by Christopher Cann, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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