MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury has indicted 15 members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based group with Antifa ties, on eight counts including conspiracy to impede a federal officer, assault on federal officers, interstate stalking, interstate threats, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, and destruction of government property, the Justice Department announced.

Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations conducted a coordinated operation over the preceding 24 hours, arresting 12 of the 15 defendants. Two remain at large, and one was already 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.”

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin called the arrests “a win for law and order.” “If you lay a hand on law enforcement, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mullin said. “We have ZERO tolerance for violence against our law enforcement. If you assault or obstruct law enforcement, you will face the consequences.”

The indictment describes DAMN as an organization “dedicated and committed to direct action against federal law and immigration enforcement,” using disruptive tactics to “forcibly challenge, block, or stop immigration raids, detentions, and deportations.” The group describes itself as “a decentralized coalition of working-class people engaged in various forms of community defense against the current Federal Occupation happening within the wider metro area, and against state and a far-right violence more broadly.” DAMN trained members in the use of shields against law enforcement, surveillance, event planning, role differentiation, and rapid mass mobilization against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.

DAMN is composed of members from sub-groups including the Black Cat Worker’s Collective, a Minneapolis-based Antifa affinity group that describes itself as “committed to workplace struggle, housing justice, community self-defense, internationalism, and revolution,” and the Ray Rainbolt Memorial Shooting Club, another Antifa affinity group dedicated to “community self-defense.” The indictment states that Antifa groups “frequently blend anarchist and communist views” and that the Black Cat Worker’s Collective advocates “militant tactics and violence,” including physical confrontation justified as collective self-defense.

Members communicated almost exclusively on Signal Messenger, organized into sub-groups based on roles and responsibilities, and practiced “operational security” by collecting cell phones before meetings to prevent recordings. DAMN worked closely with rapid response networks described as “inherently militant” with the “explicit aim of combating and stopping a federal agent with a gun.” The group infiltrated lawful protests and relied on “strength in numbers” to distract law enforcement while carrying out operations. Members organized direct actions against federal and local law enforcement, including Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office deputies, on Jan. 23 and March 1, deploying “hard” and “soft” blockades.

One defendant, Kyle Wagner, was arrested Feb. 5 in Minneapolis for doxxing a federal agent in the Eastern District of Michigan. Wagner wore a sweatshirt reading “I’m Antifa!” at the time of his arrest, and law enforcement recovered Antifa patches from his residence.

“Today’s announcement is the result of a thorough investigation into a deeply troubling trend: coordinated violence targeting federal law enforcement officers in an effort to cause chaos and impede law enforcement operations,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy of HSI St. Paul. “We fully respect and defend the First Amendment right to peaceful protest. However, when protest crosses the line into violence or criminal activity, it becomes unlawful and will not be tolerated.”

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen for the District of Minnesota said the alleged conduct was “un-American” and would “be met with swift justice.” Joint Task Force Vanguard Co-Director Brian Lynch said the charges “are directly in line with Joint Task Force Vanguard’s mission: a collaborative, whole of government effort to counter groups that use violence and the threat of violence to achieve political ends.”

The two at-large defendants remain the subject of an active federal manhunt. The 12 arrested defendants are expected to make initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis in the coming days.