Authorities have charged two people and arrested a third since Monday for alleged roles in an armed ambush on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas, bringing the number of suspects to at least 14.
Phillip Thomas and Lynette Read Sharp helped suspect Benjamin Song hide from authorities after he allegedly participated in the July 4 attack in Alvarado, Texas with a group of black-clad leftists, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged Monday in a criminal complaint. Thomas and Sharp were allegedly involved in group text chats that showed evidence of āreconnaissanceā before the nighttime assault, which led to a shooting that injured a local police officer and attempted murder charges in what the DOJ has called a coordinated effort to kill ICE personnel.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reported Song was captured on Tuesday after a manhunt that lasted for days and involved the FBI.
Thomas allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he had lived at Songās residence for several months. He allegedly said he met with three people in Cleburne, Texas, to discuss how to help Song get away from the detention center before he personally picked up the fugitive and brought him to a friendās Dallas residence, according to the DOJ. Sharp also discussed transferring Song from Thomas to another helper in Signal chats, the complaint alleges.
Court records do not yet list attorneys for Thomas and Sharp.
The DOJ has alleged that Song, a former Marine Corps reservist, purchased four guns connected to the ambush and fired at law enforcement. The department alleged that Song āwas hiding in the woods until dark the day after the shooting before fleeing the areaā based on location data linked to his cell phone.
Authorities previously arrested ten people whom they said were involved in the plot, and law enforcement found a variety of weapons, body armor, radios, Kevlar vests and signs with phrases such as āfight ICE terror with class war!ā The FBI later found materials for āorganizing for attackā and āinsurrectionary anarchyā in the home of an eleventh suspect accused of hiding evidence.
The Signal group chats Thomas and Sharp allegedly belonged to discussed plans for the July 4th ambush, with Sharp offering to send money to assist, according to the DOJ. The chats also allegedly showed ādetailed descriptions of the area and photographsā that suggested the far-left cadre conducted āreconnaissanceā of the ICE building.
The DOJās office in the Northern District of Texas and the FBIās Dallas field office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundationās requests for comment.
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