Federal prosecutors in Minnesota on Tuesday announced charges against 15 members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN), a Minneapolis-based group with ties to Antifa networks. The charges stem from activities during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement effort that deployed thousands of federal agents to the Twin Cities area earlier this year.
“Today, a federal indictment was unsealed charging 15 defendants with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers and other charges related to efforts of two Minneapolis based Antifa groups that violently opposed the enforcement of federal law in our state,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Dan Rosen said during a press conference.
“The defendants are members and associates of Direct Action Minnesota. They are charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, interstate threats, interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer, and destruction of government property,” he added.
The indictment details coordinated efforts by DAMN and affiliated groups, including the Black Cat Worker’s Collective and the Ray Rainbolt Memorial Shooting Club. These organizations trained members in surveillance, operational planning, rapid mobilization, and the use of shields against law enforcement.
Communications occurred primarily through encrypted Signal Messenger chats, with subgroups assigned specific roles, prosecutors said.
Key tactics included “hard” and “soft” blockades. Hard blockades involved vehicles, trailers, Czech hedgehogs (metal obstacles), and debris to obstruct roads near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. The sustained attacks caused significant disruptions and shutdowns at the facility on several occasions from late January through mid-March.
Soft blockades used homemade shields made of plastic, wood, and metal to physically resist officers.
“Commuting” tactics involved following federal agents from the Whipple Building to residences or other sites. Examples cited include Isaac Sant following an officer to Hudson, Wisconsin, on May 4, and Natasha Rakotz allegedly brake-checking and side-swiping an officer’s vehicle on May 18, causing a collision. On May 15, William Morgan allegedly knocked notes from an agent’s hand and kicked a government vehicle, causing dents, while Isaac Sant was present.
“As alleged, these defendants, which included members of Antifa groups, engaged in an unrelenting campaign of harassment and violence targeting federal and local law enforcement. Their actions created a dangerous environment that threatened not only their intended targets, but the community as a whole,” said Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. “These arrests demonstrate the Department’s commitment to law and order and stopping organized political violence in Minneapolis and beyond.”
In response to Tuesday’s charges and arrests, protesters gathered outside the federal building in St. Paul and related sites in Minneapolis. Footage from the scene shows rioters vandalizing the building and attempting to impede federal agents, which led to the deployment of less-than-lethal crowd control munitions.
St. Paul, Minn. (June 16) — Violent Antifa supporters surrounded the federal courthouse and tried to storm it during the first hearing for the Antifa cell members who were indicted for alleged criminal anti-government conspiracies and violent attacks in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/yTKqFXa5sx
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 16, 2026
