FORT WORTH, Texas — Testimony in a federal trial revealed that a researcher from a conservative think tank helped Justice Department prosecutors craft language used in an indictment against an alleged “North Texas antifa cell.” The charges stem from a July 4 protest outside the Prairieland Detention Center, an immigration facility near Dallas.
Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy told the court he provided prosecutors with a definition of antifa that was later included in the indictment. “I told them what I believed to be an accurate definition of antifa, and they used it,” Shideler testified, adding that prosecutors ultimately decided whether to include the language.
The case involves nine defendants accused of organizing a demonstration outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. During the protest, participants used fireworks and noise devices in what organizers said was an act of solidarity with detainees inside the facility. Police responded to the scene, and one officer was shot in the neck during the confrontation.
Defense attorneys questioned Shideler’s qualifications and his affiliation with the Center for Security Policy, a Washington-based advocacy group known for its strong views on national security and immigration policy. Under cross-examination, Shideler acknowledged that his research methods do not rely on traditional academic peer review and are based largely on open-source material.
Shideler is testifying as an expert witness for the government in what prosecutors describe as the first domestic terrorism case involving an alleged antifa group.
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