Anarchist Website Becomes Key Evidence in DOJ Investigation
A federal indictment of 15 Minnesota antifa suspects used posts from anarchist website CrimethInc as evidence in charges of conspiring to obstruct ICE operations and assault federal officers.
The June 11 indictment, recently unsealed, charges 15 individuals with conspiring to obstruct Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, according to Washington Examiner. The charging document extensively cites material from CrimethInc, an anonymous online forum that publishes calls to action and chronicles leftist “resistance” activities including riots and property destruction.
Federal prosecutors repeatedly reference two January articles allegedly authored by defendant Isaac Sant that celebrated how law enforcement lost control of a Minneapolis neighborhood during violent unrest. The pieces describe in detail how rioters constructed street barricades and torched property as federal agents retreated from the area.
The indictment also highlights a nationwide “Anarchist Speaking Tour” organized by CrimethInc from March through April, which featured presentations on how agitators successfully disrupted ICE enforcement actions in Minnesota. Federal law enforcement infiltrated that speaking tour, Washington Examiner reports.
The 15 defendants face serious federal charges including conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, solicitation to commit violent crimes, interstate threats, interstate stalking, assault on federal officers, and destruction of government property. Four defendants—Sant, Callum Robinet, William Morgan, and Cameron Kennedy—allegedly took part in the CrimethInc speaking tour that authorities had penetrated.
The case demonstrates how radical leftist groups’ standard practice of using public websites to organize and galvanize their movement has backfired spectacularly, turning their own propaganda into criminal evidence under the Trump administration.
CrimethInc describes itself as an international network of aspiring revolutionaries, according to the indictment. The organization maintains a post office box in Olympia, Washington, and a separate mailing address in England.
The January 15 CrimethInc article Sant allegedly penned provided a firsthand narrative of demonstrators confronting law enforcement in Minneapolis before committing theft of government property. The piece described officers losing control of the area and abandoning multiple ICE vehicles, which rioters then broke into to steal documents, tactical gear, and other materials.
CrimethInc responded Monday on Instagram by claiming one defendant was merely accused of writing an article about the ICE-involved shooting death of Renee Good in January. However, that particular article does not appear in the federal indictment.
Neither CrimethInc nor defense attorneys for Sant, Morgan, Robinet, and Kennedy responded to requests for comment from Washington Examiner.
With information from Washington Examiner
