Undercover FBI officials posed as members of the Islamic State group to extract information about the intended attack, FBI Special Agent James Barnacle, Jr., US federal prosecutor Russ Ferguson and Mint Hill police chief Joseph Hatley told reporters. "He pledged his allegiance to ISIS with that undercover agent, and he disclosed his plans to 'do jihad' soon," Ferguson said, using one of multiple acronyms used to refer to the Islamic State terror group. He disclosed more details to another undercover official, according to Ferguson.
The two-page FBI document, dated 14 November, says some of the investigations are related to the countering domestic terrorism memo issued by Donald Trump in September. Released after the killing of Charlie Kirk, Trump's memo, known as NSPM-7, called for a national strategy to thwart violent and terroristic activities associated with anti-fascism. It described anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity as threats and cited riots in Los Angeles and Portland, referring to protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as examples of political violence.
UPDATE: In a response received Wednesday after this episode aired, the Administration for Children and Families, which oversees ORR, said the office "has not issued a moratorium" on sponsor releases, but alluded to "enhanced vetting policies" for adults who will be caring for the children after their release. "ORR continues to discharge children to vetted sponsors when all statutory and safety requirements are fully met and when release is assessed to be appropriate given the child's individual needs and circumstances," ACF told the California Newsroom. "Each case is evaluated individually, and decisions are made based on child welfare best practices."
Among the ideologies flagged are "adherence to radical gender ideology," along with positions favoring mass migration, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, and hostility toward "traditional views on family, religion, and morality," the memo states. While the directive does not explicitly name transgender people, advocates say the language effectively targets trans communities and those who support them, given the administration's repeated use of "gender ideology" as a catchall for transgender identity, health care, education, and civil rights advocacy.
Prosecutors allege that the group of four, whom investigators identify as members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, or TILF, conspired to build and detonate multiple improvised explosive devices on Dec. 31. The affidavit also alleges that during a Dec. 7 meeting, Carroll and Page discussed plans for future attacks after New Year's Eve, including targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and vehicles in January or February.
A plan to attack several Los Angeles-area businesses on New Year's Eve was detailed, dangerous and already in motion, authorities said. But as four people allegedly tied to an anti-government group gathered last week in the Mojave Desert to make and test several test bombs, FBI officials foiled the terror plot. "They had everything they needed to make an operational bomb at that location," First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli said at a news conference Monday morning. "We disrupted this terror plot before buildings were demolished or innocent people were killed."
Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered the FBI to compile a list of what the Justice Department is calling "domestic terrorist" organizations. Last week, Bondi sent a memo to all federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies targeting a wide range of people, including those who hold what she calls, quote, "extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology," "anti-Americanism," "anti-capitalism" or "anti-Christianity," unquote.
Since at least the Bush administration, designating someone or something as a terrorist or terrorism has been our equivalent of the John Wick universe's being declared excommunicado. Due process, the notion that someone would come to your aid if you were physically harmed, out the window. And while the designation hasn't lost any of its gravitas, the threshold you need to cross before getting called a terrorist has rapidly fallen over time. Per a recent White House release, merely having "anti-American views" - otherwise known as thought-crime - could get you on the list. As it turns out, even active members of the government aren't safe from the suspicion that they're actually terrorists in wait using their positions for dastardly ends.
As President Donald Trump prepares to further unleash a rapidly expanding surveillance state against the administration's critics, recent legal struggles from activists who document and protest Trump's mass deportation campaign may be a preview of what's to come as part of a broader effort to silence dissent. Trump made headlines on September 22 with an executive order declaring "Antifa," short for anti-fascist, a domestic terrorist organization.
At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,
We are going to channel all of the anger that we have over the organised campaign that led to this assassination, to uproot and dismantle these terrorist networks, said Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. Miller added that It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie's name.
