The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken into custody yet another individual implicated in the July 4 planned attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Texas.
Benjamin Hanil Song, a former reservist with the U.S. Marine Corps, was apprehended on Wednesday in Dallas following a week of intensive search efforts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. Reports indicate that Song is facing three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts related to firearm discharge during a violent crime.
Song had been listed on the FBI’s Most Wanted following his alleged involvement in the violent and organized assault. This claim comes from the Department of Homeland Security. Song now joins the total of 14 individuals charged in the aftermath of the attack. Reliable sources indicate that Song, along with ten others, is suspected of coordinating the attack on the ICE agents at the Prairieland Detention Center.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Nancy E. Larson, stated that while Song managed to evade capture in the immediate aftermath of the attack, authorities were confident he would not remain at large for long. The 14 individuals involved in the attack, she said, will face prosecution, and justice is expected to be swift.
The Prairieland Detention Center is home to individuals convicted of serious crimes, including rape, child molestation, murder, kidnapping, arson, human trafficking, and terrorism. The center also houses known members of transnational criminal organizations and individuals suspected of terrorism. DHS reports suggest a worrying trend of politically motivated violence against its personnel.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the arrest of Song and his alleged accomplices sends a clear message against violence towards ICE agents. Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary of the DHS, stated in a press release that those who harm ICE agents will not go unpunished, indicating a strong commitment to pursuing those responsible for the attack.
Recent weeks have seen an alarming spike in assaults against ICE officers, particularly during enforcement operations. With an 830% increase reported by the DHS, the department is dealing with a distinct escalation in hostility.
A former Marine reservist is the 14th person charged with the July 4 attack on a Texas ICE facility.
