Notes written by the person suspected of opening fire on an immigration facility in Texas indicate he was targeting ICE agents and did not intend to harm detainees, acting US attorney for the Northern district of Texas Nancy Larson said.
One detainee was killed and two others critically injured after a suspected sniper opened fire at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) centre in Dallas on Wednesday, officials said.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Ms. Larson identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, adding that notes he had written had been found at his home.
She stated he intended to 'maximize lethality against ICE personnel and to maximize property damage at the facility'.
'He hoped to minimize any collateral damage or injury to the detainees and any other innocent people,' she added. 'It is clear from these notes that he was targeting ICE agents and ICE personnel.'
The victims have not yet been fully identified. FBI director Kash Patel indicated earlier that evidence 'to this point indicates a high degree of pre-attack planning'.
Patel revealed one of the handwritten notes indicated: 'Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, 'is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?'
Larson revealed that the shooter likely acted alone, adding that that morning gunshots sprayed the length of the building, the windows, and law enforcement vans in the sallyport area, which resulted in injuries to detainees.
The notes, which detailed a 'gameplan of the attack', were found at the shooter's residence. The shooter depicted ICE employees as 'people showing up to collect a dirty paycheck', Larson noted, emphasizing that he intended to terrorize them and disrupt their work.
'What he did is the very definition of terrorism,' she asserted. No evidence of any specific group membership was found, and he did not mention any specific government agency other than ICE, although he did express hatred toward the federal government.
Larson praised ICE and federal agents for their bravery in the face of danger, who worked to remove detainees from vans and get them to safety during the assault. FBI special agent Joe Rothrock described the incident as a 'targeted, ambush-style attack on law enforcement', stating that the shooter specifically intended to kill ICE agents and fired at transport vehicles carrying them, along with federal personnel and detainees.
Rothrock explained that Jahn recognized the high likelihood of other casualties, knowing that ICE detainees would be present at the facility during his attack.
Marcos Charles, ICE field office director for enforcement and removal operations, asserted the need for a halt to violent rhetoric against ICE agents, highlighting that their officers bravely ran back into danger to protect detainees during the shooting.
