Federal authorities have charged two additional suspects and arrested a third in connection with the July 4 armed ambush on an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, bringing the total number of individuals implicated in the attack to at least 14.
According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal complaint filed Monday, Phillip Thomas and Lynette Read Sharp are accused of helping fugitive Benjamin Song evade law enforcement after he allegedly participated in the attack.
Song, a former Marine Corps reservist, is believed to have been one of several armed assailants wearing black clothing who attempted a coordinated assault on the detention facility.
BREAKING: Authorities have captured Benjamin Song, wanted for his alleged role in the violent July 4th ambush on a Texas ICE facility by a group of armed leftists, according to @TexasDPS1.https://t.co/gJVlQ4vaM2 pic.twitter.com/pJhvfGokSD
— Hudson Crozier 🇺🇸 (@Hudson_Crozier) July 15, 2025
The attack, which left a local police officer injured by gunfire, has led to attempted murder charges and is being treated by federal authorities as a planned effort to kill ICE personnel.
According to investigators, Thomas and Sharp were members of encrypted group chats on Signal in which participants discussed detailed plans for the ambush. These messages reportedly included reconnaissance photographs, layout descriptions of the ICE facility, and logistical conversations about transporting Song after the attack.
Thomas allegedly admitted to authorities that he lived with Song for several months and participated in a post-attack escape plan. He reportedly met with three other individuals in Cleburne, Texas, and then personally drove Song to a residence in Dallas. Sharp allegedly coordinated efforts to transfer Song further, according to Signal messages referenced in the complaint.
Law enforcement arrested Song on Tuesday following a multi-day manhunt involving the FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety. According to federal authorities, Song purchased four firearms linked to the ambush and is believed to have fired at officers during the attack. Data from his phone indicated he hid in nearby woods overnight before fleeing the area.
Previously, federal agents had arrested 10 other individuals connected to the plot, and seized firearms, Kevlar vests, tactical radios, and propaganda materials with slogans such as “Fight ICE terror with class war!” In the home of an 11th suspect, authorities discovered additional documents detailing plans for “insurrectionary anarchy” and coordinated violence.
