Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that 25 more arrests had been made in connection with the storming of Cities Church by anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitators last month.
“Today, [the Justice Department] unsealed an indictment charging 30 more people who took part in the attack on Cities Church in Minnesota,” Bondi wrote on X. “At my direction, federal agents have already arrested 25 of them, with more to come throughout the day.”
“YOU CANNOT ATTACK A HOUSE OF WORSHIP. If you do so, you cannot hide from us — we will find you, arrest you, and prosecute you. This Department of Justice STANDS for Christians and all Americans of faith,” she added.
PASTOR SPEAKS OUT ON HARROWING CHURCH INVASION THAT SENT CONGREGANTS FLEEING IN TERROR
Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Kash Patel said that the arrests showed that the bureau would not tolerate people carrying out attacks against those worshiping peacefully.
“Today’s FACE Act arrests with our federal partners show this FBI will never tolerate those who target, attack, or intimidate Americans peacefully exercising their right to worship freely,” Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“To date, 39 individuals have been indicted over their role in the January 18th targeting on Cities Church — with multiple arrests already occurring last month including Don Lemon. Thanks to our FBI Minneapolis team for their tremendous work, as well as great HSI partners and Attorney General Bondi’s DOJ for their relentless pursuit of justice,” Patel added.
In the indictment, which was unsealed on Friday, it is alleged that the agitators took part “in a coordinated takeover-style attack and engaged in acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference, and physical obstruction.”
“As a result of [the] defendants’ conduct, the pastor and congregation were forced to terminate the church’s worship service, congregants fled the church building out of fear for their safety, other congregants took steps to implement an emergency plan, and young children were left to wonder, as one child put it, if their parents were going to die,” the indictment reads.
The defendants were identified in the indictment as Nekima Valdez Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, William Scott Kelly, Don Renaldo Lemon, Jerome Deangelo Richardson, Jamael Lydell Lundy, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Ellyse Fort, Ian Davis Austin, Aziza Mohammed Aboud, Max Richard Adamson, Michael Walker Beute, Ezra Chaim Pye Blumenfeld, Shane Ryan Bollman, Kelly Ann Carey, Monique Cassandra Cullars-Doty, Tiffany Lynn Dunlap, Andrew Jared Edwards, Rachel Rose Goligoski, Amelia Cristin Hansa, Ariel Hauptman, Krista Erin Hogan, Heather Danielle Lewis, Danielle Andrea Matthias, Catie Anne Michaelson, Eric Ryan Michaelson, David Anthony Okar, Jarmel James Perry, Cheryl Ann Persigehl, Emmar Monike Pineda-Moreno , Spencer Michael Rodriguez-Bocanegra, Katherine Elizabeth Shaw, Satara Diann Strong Allen, Charles Lee Swenson, Robyn Elise Swenson, Thomas Matthew Tier, Lee Elizabeth Wiedeman Tuggle, John Donald Vergin and Mark David Weinfurter.
The indictment alleges that the group “conspired and agreed with one another to oppress, threaten, and intimidate multiple persons, including the clergy, staff, and congregants of the Cities Church.”
The indictment states that Armstrong, Allen, Strong and Cullars-Doty, along with others, “organized” the disruption, which they dubbed “Operation Pullup.” They allegedly promoted it through Instagram and Facebook. The defendants allegedly met at a shopping center prior to the church disruption to coordinate it, the indictment says.
“Once at the Church, all of the defendants entered the Church to conduct a takeover-style attack and engaged in various acts in furtherance of the conspiracy,” the indictment reads.
The defendants are also accused of “aiding and abetting one another, by use of force, threat of force, and physical obstruction, intentionally injured, intimidated, and interfered with, and attempted to injure, intimidate, and interfere with multiple persons” who were merely trying to worship.
On Jan. 18, several anti-ICE agitators stormed Cities Church to protest federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. The agitators were heard in videos chanting “Justice for Renee Good,” referencing the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old at the hands of federal agents.
The Trump administration quickly took action and launched a probe into the matter, saying the incident was a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Several arrests have been made since the federal probe was opened.
The highest profile arrest was former CNN anchor Don Lemon, who allegedly followed the agitators into the church and spoke with the pastor. Lemon appeared to be speaking to Cities Church lead pastor Jonathan Parnell, as per an image on the church’s website.
“This is unacceptable, it’s shameful. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship,” the pastor said when Lemon asked for his reaction to the crowd storming the church. “I have to take care of my flock.”
Lemon was charged with conspiracy to deprive religious freedom rights and a violation of the FACE Act. He was arraigned on Feb. 13 and pleaded not guilty.
Fox News Digital reached out to HSI and the DOJ for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.
