Executive Summary
- Micah James Legnon, a former Marine and police officer, was arrested in New Iberia, Louisiana.
- Federal prosecutors allege Legnon planned to travel to New Orleans to attack ICE officers.
- Legnon is allegedly linked to the Turtle Island Liberation Front, an extremist group connected to a foiled Southern California bombing plot.
- A search of the suspect’s home reportedly yielded assault rifles, ammunition, and sniper training manuals.
- Legnon faces federal charges of making threats over interstate commerce.
BATON ROUGE, La. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested a former Marine and former police officer in Louisiana on charges related to an alleged plot to attack federal agents, according to court documents filed by the Department of Justice. Authorities state the suspect is linked to an extremist group whose members were recently detained for allegedly planning a bombing campaign in Southern California.
Micah James Legnon, 29, was taken into custody on Saturday in New Iberia, Louisiana, approximately two hours west of New Orleans. According to federal charging documents, Legnon faces charges of making threats over interstate commerce. Prosecutors allege that Legnon utilized a group chat to communicate with members of the “Turtle Island Liberation Front,” indicating his intention to travel to New Orleans to execute attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
Federal authorities describe the Turtle Island Liberation Front as a “far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government and anti-capitalist group,” based on court filings. The organization reportedly advocates for “liberation through decolonization tribal sovereignty.” The investigation into Legnon coincided with a broader probe into the group’s activities, which recently led to arrests in Southern California. In that separate but related case, a member of the group allegedly devised a detailed plan to detonate pipe bombs at five or more businesses on New Year’s Eve.
Law enforcement officials were monitoring Legnon earlier this month due to his alleged affiliation with the suspects detained in California. According to the criminal complaint, FBI agents observed Legnon loading an assault rifle and body armor into his vehicle. Upon executing a search warrant at his residence, investigators recovered assault rifles, multiple rounds of ammunition, and sniper training manuals.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli addressed the threat posed by Legnon during a statement on Monday. “The person arrested in Louisiana is not directly tied to this [California] incident, but he is a member of this group, and when they executed the search warrant out there, he posed a great threat to the agency. He threatened the agents,” Essayli stated.
Federal Investigative Outlook
This arrest underscores the heightened vigilance of federal law enforcement agencies regarding domestic extremist groups coordinating across state lines. The discovery of military-grade weaponry and tactical manuals suggests a potential escalation in the capabilities of such organizations, prompting a rigorous review of associated networks by the FBI. As the investigation proceeds, authorities will likely focus on the extent of coordination between the Louisiana and California cells to determine if further threats exist. It is important to note that Micah James Legnon, along with other individuals named in related filings, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
