Federal authorities say they have arrested a Virginia educator and his brother for allegedly plotting to attack ICE agents, potentially using high-caliber firearms.
According to Fox News, Assistant Principal John Wilson Bennett of Kempsville High School and his older brother, Mark Booth Bennett, were reportedly overheard discussing plans to target ICE agents while at a Vietnamese restaurant in Virginia Beach on Nov. 17.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the brothers allegedly spoke of traveling to Nevada to carry out attacks in retaliation for what they described as “kidnapping[s]” during recent immigration enforcement operations.
“It’s chilling that a human being, much less a child educator, would plot to ambush and kill ICE law enforcement officers—offering such specifics as to getting a high-caliber rifle that would pierce the law enforcement’s bulletproof vests,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Thanks to Homeland Security Investigations and our partners, these men are behind bars.”
John Bennett has been on the faculty at Kempsville High School since 2009 and is currently on leave while authorities investigate the allegations.
According to DHS, the plot was reported after an off-duty Norfolk police officer overheard the men at the restaurant.
Mark Bennett allegedly discussed meeting like-minded individuals in Las Vegas and purchasing firearms with explosive rounds.
Both brothers were arrested two days later, with Mark Bennett taken into custody at Norfolk International Airport while en route to Las Vegas via Charlotte.
The case underscores the dramatic rise in threats and attacks against ICE agents. McLaughlin noted that assaults against ICE officers have increased by more than 1,150%, and death threats have surged by roughly 8,000-fold.
“They risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members,” McLaughlin said, highlighting the growing dangers faced by federal law enforcement personnel.
Mark Bennett’s attorney, Happy O’Brien, disputed the allegations, telling the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot that his client was traveling to Nevada for a Formula One motorsports event with his child.
O’Brien likened the restaurant conversation to a scene from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, where characters often discuss existential topics over coffee.
Both John and Mark Bennett are charged with conspiracy to commit malicious wounding, and the investigation remains ongoing.
