The Justice Department today announced that 15 members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN) have been charged with various federal crimes, including conspiracy to impede a federal officer, multiple counts of interstate stalking, interstate threats, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, multiple counts of assault on a federal officer, and destruction of government property.
Over the last 24 hours, federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a coordinated law enforcement operation culminating in the arrest of 12 DAMN members. Two DAMN members are at-large, and one was previously in federal custody on separate charges.
“As alleged, these defendants, which included members of Antifa groups, engaged in an unrelenting campaign of harassment and violence targeting federal and local law enforcement,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Their actions created a dangerous environment that threatened not only their intended targets, but the community as a whole. These arrests demonstrate the Department’s commitment to law and order and stopping organized political violence in Minneapolis and beyond.”