00:00Today, a federal indictment was unsealed, charging 15 defendants with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers
00:08and other charges related to efforts of two Minneapolis-based Antifa groups
00:14that violently opposed the enforcement of federal law in our state.
00:20The defendants are members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota.
00:26They are charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence,
00:37interstate threats, interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer, and destruction of government property.
00:50Earlier this morning, agents of Homeland Security Investigations conducted a coordinated law enforcement operation
01:00culminating in the arrest of 12 of the 15 defendants.
01:05One defendant had already been in custody on other federal charges.
01:10Two defendants remained fugitives at large.
01:14Today's charges and arrests reflect a broad federal effort to address organized, lawless behavior
01:21which seeks to disrupt the execution of federal law, endanger law enforcement,
01:26and importantly, endanger the very communities that these defendants falsely claim to be protecting.
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