A Minneapolis man is accused of threatening ICE officers and cyberstalking

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis man was arrested Thursday on charges of cyberstalking and threatening to kill or assault Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers involved in a crackdown in Minnesota.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that Kyle Wagner, 37, of Minneapolis was charged by complaint, and that a decision to file an indictment, which is necessary to take the case to trial, will be made soon.

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Court records in Detroit, Michigan, where the case was filed, did not list an attorney who could speak on Wagner’s behalf. The complaint was filed on Tuesday and opened on Thursday.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi alleged in a statement that Wagner harassed and threatened law enforcement officers, claimed affiliation with Antifa and “encouraged bloodshed in the streets.”

At the White House on Thursday, press secretary Carolyn Leavitt held up a photo of Weber at the daily briefing and said such behavior by “left-wing agitators” would not go unpunished.

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“If people are unlawfully obstructing our federal law enforcement operations, if they are targeting, harassing and defaming ICE agents, they will be held accountable like this individual here, who has once again declared himself a member of Antifa. He is a domestic terrorist, and he will be held accountable in the United States,” Leavitt told reporters.

President Donald Trump announced in September that he would designate Antifa a “major terrorist organization.” Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is an umbrella term for far-left-leaning armed groups rather than a single entity. It consists of groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially in demonstrations.

When Trump administration border official Tom Homan announced on Wednesday that about 700 federal officers deployed in Minnesota would be withdrawn immediately, he said a larger withdrawal would only happen after there was more cooperation and protesters stopped interfering in federal personnel matters.

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According to prosecutors, Wagner repeatedly posted on Facebook and Instagram encouraging his followers to “forcefully confront, assault, obstruct, oppose and resist federal officers” whom he referred to as “Gestapo” and “murderers.”

The complaint alleges that Wagner posted a video last month that directly threatened ICE officers with obscenity-laden statements. “I’ve already bled for this city, I’ve already fought for this city, and this is nothing new, we’re ready this time,” he said, concluding that he was “coming for” ICE.

The complaint also alleges that Wagner called for physical confrontation in another post, saying, “Anywhere we have an opportunity to get our hands on them, we need to get our hands on them.”

It also details how Wagner used his Instagram account to scam someone identified only as a “pro-ICE individual” by posting a phone number, month of birth, year, and address in the Oak Park suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Wagner later admitted he messed with the victim’s parents’ home, the complaint says.

Federal prosecutors did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the case was brought in Michigan instead of Minnesota. The alleged defamation was the only Michigan connection listed in the complaint.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota has been under pressure from the resignations of several prosecutors in recent weeks amid frustration over the surge and its handling of the shooting deaths of two people by state officers. One lawyer, who told the judge that her work was “bad,” was removed from her position.

Trump’s lead federal prosecutor in Minnesota, Dan Rosen, told a federal appeals court in a recent filing that his office is facing an “avalanche of new lawsuits” and is struggling to keep up on immigration cases alone, while his division that handles civil cases is down 50%.

Rosen wrote that his office has canceled other civil enforcement actions and is “operating in reactive mode.” He also said that his attorneys “attend daily contempt hearings. The court sets deadlines within hours, including weekends and holidays. Paralegals are constantly working overtime. Attorneys are constantly working overtime.”

Associated Press reporters Eric Tucker and Nathan Elgren in Washington contributed.