Texas Antifa Group Members Charged with State Terrorism Offenses: Indictment Unsealed
Three individuals suspected of being part of a Texas antifa group were charged with state terrorism offenses related to an attack on federal officers at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Alvarado, Texas in July 2025. The incident involved armed antifa militants ambushing Homeland Security personnel, resulting in a police officer being shot. Melania Lynn Estes, Andrew Tyler Smith, and Steven Thomas Reyna were accused of aiding the group's leader, Benjamin Hanil Song, in evading law enforcement after the attack. They were indicted on charges of hindering the prosecution of terrorism and engaging in organized criminal activity.
The trio allegedly collaborated with accomplices Lynette Read Sharp and Susan Elaine Kent to hide Song and help him avoid arrest. Sharp and Kent had previously pleaded guilty to providing support to terrorists. The support network formed by Estes, Smith, and Reyna, along with Sharp and Kent, aimed to conceal Song and assist him in evading capture. The indictment against the three was recently unsealed, bringing the total number of suspected antifa operatives involved in the terrorism plot to 22 individuals across state and federal cases.
Sixteen defendants have already been federally convicted, with nine found guilty in the first federal antifa terrorism trial in U.S. history earlier this year. The convictions included charges related to terrorism, rioting, carrying an explosive, and unlawful use of a firearm. Seven others confessed ahead of trial, admitting that the attack was in line with antifa ideology. The DFW Support Committee, which established a legal defense fund for the suspects, stated that the newly indicted defendants do not plan to cooperate with the prosecution.
The defendants have received support from various sources, including anonymous contributors and the International Antifascist Defense Fund. Estes, Smith, and Reyna were arrested and later released on bail. President Donald Trump's designation of antifa as a domestic terrorist organization led to the federal investigation and prosecution of the individuals involved. The convicted individuals are awaiting sentencing in the federal terrorism case and still face state charges in Texas for various offenses.
The defendants are scheduled for sentencing in the federal terrorism case, with state charges pending for offenses such as organized crime and obstruction of justice. Dario Emmanuel Sanchez, another defendant, is set to stand trial for allegedly tampering with evidence related to the antifa cell's attack plans.