After a week-long manhunt, the FBI has captured Antifa militant Benjamin Song, the 14th suspect allegedly involved in the July 4 ambush on an ICE detention facility near Fort Worth.
Song, 32, of Dallas, was apprehended by an FBI tactical team around 6 p.m. on July 15 at an apartment near 5200 Meadowcreek Drive, the Department of Justice announced.
“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,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI has worked tirelessly to arrest everyone associated with the shooting at the Prairieland Detention Center.”
Johnson County District Attorney Tim Good told The Dallas Express that Song was found with a woman and “multiple weapons” but did not resist arrest.
“I don’t think he was expecting them, but if you’ve ever seen them make a tactical entry, there’s no way to counter how strongly they come on,” Good said.
Officials had received a tip that Song was at the apartment complex. “The FBI – their tactical team came in, hit the location, and that’s exactly where he was,” Good added.
Good said Song is being held in the Johnson County Jail with the other suspects. None have posted bond. He declined to comment on whether political materials were recovered during the arrest.
A joint task force — including Johnson County sheriff’s deputies, Texas Rangers, federal agents, and DA investigators — developed leads and executed warrants throughout the week.
Song allegedly purchased four firearms used by militants in the ambush, which left an Alvarado police officer shot in the neck. The attackers, dressed in black body armor, reportedly used vandalism to lure ICE officers outside the Prairieland Detention Center before opening fire, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
Authorities offered a $35,000 reward for information leading to his arrest — $25,000 from the FBI and $10,000 from Gov. Greg Abbott, as The Dallas Express reported.
“Though Song escaped by hiding overnight after the attack, we were confident he would not remain hidden for long,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson.
The suspects — found with anarchist and socialist propaganda — communicated via Signal to “plan the attack and share reconnaissance,” according to the DOJ.
Officials shared a map the suspects allegedly made, which circled the ICE facility and marked six nearby police stations.
“After the immediate apprehension of Song’s coconspirators at the scene, the FBI and our federal prosecutors — together with our other law enforcement partners — worked tirelessly around the clock pursuing Song,” Larson said. “Their tremendous efforts culminated in the arrest of this alleged violent criminal today.”
Ten suspects were charged on July 7. Two others were charged July 14 for allegedly helping Song evade arrest. One more was charged with evidence tampering. Officials say at least two of the suspects identify as “transgender.”
“The fourteen individuals who planned and participated in these heinous acts will be prosecuted, and we expect justice will be swift,” Larson said.
Song was identified as a member of the Elm Fork chapter of the John Brown Gun Club, a self-described Antifa militant group. As The Dallas Express previously reported, Song was featured in combat training videos and had been under surveillance prior to the attack.
Earlier this month, law enforcement busted a Dallas residence in search of Song, as The Dallas Express also reported at the time. Instead, they found more than 40 firearms, socialist propaganda, and fellow Antifa members in the John Brown Gun Club – including a suspect with a violent past who reportedly now identifies as “transgender,” like two suspects in the ambush.
“We have said it before: The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence toward law enforcement and will thoroughly investigate anyone that commits these types of offenses,” Rothrock said.