Five people pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists for their alleged roles in a July 4 shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas that wounded a police officer. Prosecutors say an alleged antifa-linked cell used gunfire and fireworks during the attack; each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison. Defense attorneys dispute the government’s characterization of an organized "North Texas Antifa Cell," and additional cases and arraignments are pending. The incident occurred amid heightened immigration enforcement and was followed days later by a separate shooting at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen.
Five Plead Guilty to Terrorism-Related Charge in Antifa-Linked Texas Detention-Center Shooting
Five people pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists for their alleged roles in a July 4 shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas that wounded a police officer. Prosecutors say an alleged antifa-linked cell used gunfire and fireworks during the attack; each defendant faces up to 15 years in prison. Defense attorneys dispute the government’s characterization of an organized "North Texas Antifa Cell," and additional cases and arraignments are pending. The incident occurred amid heightened immigration enforcement and was followed days later by a separate shooting at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen.
05:37 AM, 11/20/2025Security
Five people pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal terrorism-related charge after prosecutors said they supported an alleged antifa cell in a July shooting outside the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas that wounded a police officer.
Federal prosecutors say the July 4 incident involved gunfire and fireworks targeted at the immigration detention facility. An Alvarado Police Department officer was struck in the neck area during the exchange and returned fire, according to court filings.
Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Seth Sikes, Lynette Sharp and John Thomas each entered guilty pleas in federal court in Fort Worth to one count of providing material support to terrorists. Each faces up to 15 years in prison at sentencing.
FBI Director Kash Patel has said the Texas case is the first time federal material-support-to-terrorism charges have been used in an investigation tied to antifa. The Justice Department brought the case after President Donald Trump issued an order labeling the decentralized movement known as antifa a domestic terrorist organization; Trump has repeatedly blamed antifa for outbreaks of political violence.
Antifa, short for "anti-fascists," is not a single hierarchical organization but an umbrella label for far-left activists and militant groups that sometimes confront neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations. Defense attorneys have disputed the government's characterization of the group as an organized cell.
What prosecutors say: According to court documents, individuals gathered outside the detention center and, as officers moved in, one person shouted "get to the rifles" and opened fire. Prosecutors say more rounds were later fired at the wounded officer and at an unarmed Department of Homeland Security correctional officer.
Authorities allege Gibson, Baumann and Sikes were present the night of the attack and were arrested soon afterward. Prosecutors say Sharp and Thomas helped the accused shooter evade arrest until July 15. Cases against other defendants in the same investigation remain pending.
"Entering the plea is step one in a long process," said Erin Kelley, Sharp's attorney, emphasizing that sentencing will determine final punishment.
Another defendant, Zachary Evetts, is scheduled for arraignment next month. His attorney, Patrick McLain, said he has seen no evidence that an organized "North Texas Antifa Cell" ever existed and that "Mr. Evetts has never been a member of anything like a 'North Texas Antifa Cell.'"
The shooting occurred amid heightened immigration enforcement. Days later, a separate attacker armed with an assault rifle fired dozens of rounds at a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, injuring a police officer; agents shot and killed that attacker.
Next steps: Sentencing dates for the five who pleaded guilty have not been announced. Prosecutions and arraignments for other defendants continue as investigators and prosecutors assemble evidence and prepare for trial or plea resolutions.