FBI agents arrested a man suspected of shooting ICE agents in a premeditated ambush at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4.
Agents in Dallas, Texas, apprehended alleged shooter Benjamin Hanil Song on Wednesday after a weeklong search, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced in a press release. Song was charged with “three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.”
His arrest is the fourteenth overall stemming from the attack on ICE personnel. Official documents from the case revealed that Song and ten other suspects arranged the attack on ICE agents on July 4, around 10:30 p.m., at the Prairieland Detention Center. Song was a former United States Marine Corps reservist.
“Though Song escaped by hiding overnight after the attack, we were confident he would not remain hidden for long,” said acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson. “The fourteen individuals who planned and participated in these heinous acts will be prosecuted, and we expect justice will be swift.”
Acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons expressed gratitude to the FBI for arresting Song. He noted that “dangerous rhetoric” has contributed to the attack on ICE officials.
“I want to congratulate and thank our partners at the FBI for bringing in Benjamin Hanil Song, the man who conspired with more than a dozen other criminals to kill ICE officials,” said Lyons. “This wannabe-killer is now off the streets. It’s horrifying that dangerous rhetoric, often spread by elected officials, has brought us to this point, but let this be an example to other people planning on terrorizing federal law enforcement officers: If you attack the brave men and women protecting this nation from dangerous criminal aliens, we will arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock applauded the efforts and dedication of all who worked to arrest every suspect from the domestic terrorist attack.
“The FBI has worked tirelessly to arrest everyone associated with the shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center,” said Rothrock. “We would like to thank all the entities that publicized this case and assisted in our efforts to successfully locate Benjamin Song. His arrest is the result of our determination to protect not only the community, but also our law enforcement partners that were the targets of a coordinated attack.”
The Prairieland Detention Center holds more than 1,000 illegal immigrants, including those who have been convicted of arson, child molestation, human trafficking, kidnapping, rape, terrorism, and members of violent gangs such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said that the capture and arrest of the suspects from the attack on the detention center sent a “clear message.”
“On Independence Day, as Americans were celebrating our freedoms, a group of violent extremists attempted to assassinate federal officers protecting us from violent criminals,” said McLaughlin. “Song’s arrest sends a clear message: under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you lay a hand on an ICE agent, you will NOT walk free. We will not forget, and we will not rest until every attacker is in custody.”