U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday that two more suspects have been arrested in the takeover of a St. Paul, Minnesota, church — a case that last week also ensnared former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
The arrests of Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson bring the total detained to at least 11 stemming from the Jan. 18 protest at Cities Church.
"If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you," Bondi wrote in a post on X.
Protesters stormed the church, targeting a pastor who also serves as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. The pastor, however, was not present at the time of the takeover.
Lemon livestreamed the incident, which demonstrators said was aimed at protesting President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.
Lemon said he attended in a journalistic capacity and claimed he had been tipped off about the demonstration in advance.
"That's totally unacceptable. It's despicable," Pastor Corey Brooks told Newsmax on Sunday.
He added, "Yes, [Christians] believe in turning the other cheek, yes, we believe in praying for our enemy. But there comes a day and a time when we have to stand for what we believe."
Trump administration officials quickly condemned the demonstration and accused protesters of intimidating Christian worshippers.
Charges include conspiring to deprive a constitutional or statutory right and interfering with individuals' religious freedom in a house of worship, covered by the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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