FBI arrests Minnesota agitator who organized storming of St. Paul church

Federal authorities arrested two anti-ICE agitators after a mob stormed a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday.

Bondi named Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen as suspects. FBI Director Kash Patel said the two men were accused of violating the FACE Act, which prohibits interfering with the exercise of religion in a place of worship.

“A few minutes ago, at my direction, HSI and FBI agents made an arrest in Minnesota. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Bondi wrote on X.

“A second arrest was made under my orders. Chauntyll Louisa Allen was taken into custody,” she announced a few minutes later.

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Nekima Levy Armstrong, a lawyer and civil rights activist, was arrested Thursday in Minnesota. (Chris Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We will share more updates as they become available. Hear loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP,” she added.

Armstrong, whose website identifies her as a civil rights lawyer and “activist scholar,” helped organize the assault on the Cities church in in Saint-Paul on Sunday.

Allen is a member of the St. Paul school board and also helped organize the protest.

FILE – Chauntyll Allen, leader of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, spoke in St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 1, 2023. (Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Armstrong continued to harass people connected to the church as recently as Wednesday, when she accused one of her pastors of having a “conflict of interest” because of his work for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Anti-ICE agitators targeted Cities Church in Minneapolis on Sunday, shouting at worshipers in the middle of services. Cities Church Pastor Jonathan Parnell condemned the agitators in a statement released Tuesday. (Facebook/DawokeFarmer2)

Armstrong claimed in a Facebook post that one of the church’s pastors is a leader in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The demonstration is one of several in the Twin Cities to protest the growing power of the federal government immigration enforcement officials to crack down on the widespread fraud taking place in the state.

Sunday’s attack saw dozens of agitators storm the Cities church during its service. Video of the incident shows activists shouting at worshipers, including children.

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Before Sunday’s service was interrupted, Armstrong sparked controversy through his far-left views and activism. She was also a lead organizer of boycotts against Target over its decision to scale back its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

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In a September 26 article, Armstrong had raised praise for Joanne Chesimardalso known as Assata Shakur, who was convicted of the murder of State Trooper Werner Foerster in 1977. Armstrong called her a “brave, wise, powerful, revolutionary black woman.”

Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.