Trans-identifying radicals among those arrested in alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot

Federal authorities arrested five individuals in connection with an alleged planned New Year’s Eve terror plot. A criminal complaint revealed that two of the suspects claim to identify as transgender.

The Department of Justice held a press conference about the alleged thwarted terror attack on Monday.

'This case is another reminder about the dangers that radicalized Antifa-like groups pose to public safety and the rule of law.'

Bill Essayli, the first assistant for the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, explained that, on Friday, his office and the FBI arrested several members of a “far-left, anti-government domestic terror cell who self-identify as the Turtle Island Liberation Front.”

The suspects were also members of a more radical offshoot of the group called the Order of the Black Lotus, according to Essayli. He highlighted the arrests of the four individuals from the Los Angeles area, stating that they have been charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. He noted that his office plans to file additional charges.

The arrested individuals were accused of attempting to construct and detonate improvised explosive devices in the Mojave Desert in preparation for alleged planned attacks on New Year’s Eve at five locations across Los Angeles, California.

Essayli claimed that the arrested individuals were planning to bomb multiple U.S. companies. They also allegedly planned follow-up attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Authorities uncovered posters associated with the TILF that included threatening language, including “Death to America” and “Death to ICE.”

“This case is another reminder about the dangers that radicalized Antifa-like groups pose to public safety and the rule of law,” Essayli said.

One of the four, 32-year-old Zachary Page, reportedly identifies as transgender and requested that authorities send him to a women’s jail, the New York Post reported.

Agents with the FBI’s New Orleans field office arrested a fifth individual tied to the TILF who was allegedly planning a separate attack in Louisiana.

An unsealed criminal complaint revealed that the suspect, 29-year-old Micah James Legnon, is a Marine veteran who claims to identify as transgender, the Post reported.

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U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Legnon, a man who uses “she/her” pronouns, went by “Kateri TheWitch” and “DarkWitch She/Her” in online chat groups and allegedly posted threats against ICE on social media.

“S**t time to recreate Waco tx with these f**kers. F**k ice,” Legnon allegedly wrote, referring to the 1993 Waco massacre that resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and over 70 civilians.

Legnon is currently in custody and facing charges of making threats over interstate commerce.

Journalist Andy Ngo, who was the first to identify Legnon, stated that the suspect’s “social media is filled with posts calling for the m—rder of people he labels as ‘fascists.’”

An attorney for Page declined a request for comment from the Intercept. Court documents did not list an attorney for Legnon.

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