The gunman who opened fire on a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Dallas left behind notes declaring he acted alone in an attempt to kill and terrorise ICE staff, whom he described as human traffickers, officials said on September 25.
Although one detainee was killed and two others critically injured in the shooting, investigators said the attacker did not intend to harm people held in custody.
«He hoped his actions would terrorise ICE employees and interfere with their work, which he called human trafficking. What he did is the very definition of terrorism,» said Nancy Larson, acting US attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
No government personnel were hurt, but ICE officers risked their lives to protect detainees caught in transport vans as bullets struck the compound.
Gunman Planned Attack in Detail
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot on the rooftop from which he fired with a legally purchased rifle. Notes recovered from his Texas home detailed his «game plan» and made clear he did not expect to survive.
FBI officials confirmed Jahn used ICE-tracking apps and researched Homeland Security sites ahead of the attack. One bullet he left behind was inscribed with «ANTI-ICE.»
The incident marked the third armed attack this year on US immigration facilities in Texas. It comes amid escalating political violence following the rooftop assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah two weeks ago.
President Donald Trump blamed anti-ICE rhetoric for fuelling violence, accusing political opponents of demonising law enforcement. On September 25 he signed a memo targeting what he described as left-wing incitement of political attacks.
DHS said security would be strengthened at ICE sites nationwide. While critics accuse the agency of spreading fear in immigrant communities, the administration has defended officers as carrying out their duty to uphold US law.
