Some are fearing that the clash caused by Antifa in Portland a few weeks ago was just the beginning of increasingly violent acts by the left-wing extremist group after a man fire-bombed a Tacoma, Washington ICE facility in protest of the deportation raids that started over the weekend.
On Saturday, a man identified as Willem Van Spronsen, armed with a rifle, tossed incendiaries at the Northwest Detention Center and vehicles around it, then attempted to ignite a propane tank.
When officers arrived on the scene, shots were fired, ultimately resulting in the death of Van Spronsen.
Following his death, evidence surfaced that Van Spronsen was, indeed, an Antifa member.
Take a look at this breaking news on Twitter:
The bomber reportedly left a manifesto that stated "I am Antifa" behind, which is being spread around on Twitter:
An Antifa Facebook group allegedly posted a eulogy for Van Spronsen in which they heralded him as a "martyr."
Andy Ngo - the conservative journalist attacked by Antifa in Portland a few weeks back - posted a screenshot of this:
Mike Cernovich also claimed that the ICE bomber is seen as a hero by Antifa groups:
Additionally, Jack Posobiec posted this photo of Antifa members mourning the attacker's death:
Van Spronsen's attack appears to have been pre-meditated.
The Seattle Times has extensive details on the attack on the ICE facility:
A protest outside the federal immigration detention center in Tacoma last year drew headlines when a 68-year-old man wrapped his arms around a police officer’s throat and shoulders in an apparent attempt to free another protester.
When police got the man into handcuffs, they found a collapsible baton and knife in his pocket, leading to criminal charges.
Early Saturday morning, that man, Willem Van Spronsen of Vashon Island, returned to the Northwest Detention Center, the holding facility for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, this time armed with a rifle and incendiary devices, according to Tacoma police.
Police said Van Spronsen tossed lit objects at vehicles and buildings, causing one car fire, and unsuccessfully tried to ignite a propane tank.
Officers were called by an ICE employee who saw the rifle. Soon after they arrived, officers reported “shots fired,” said Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool, although it is unclear who fired first or if Van Spronsen fired at all. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office classified his death as a homicide.
The four responding officers all opened fire and then took cover, uninjured. After medical aid arrived, officers found Van Spronsen dead. He had multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s office.
Immigration is increasingly a flashpoint American politics, and Van Spronsen’s death came on the eve of Sunday’s planned national raid by ICE targeting thousands of undocumented immigrant families who the government said missed court hearings or who had received removal notices. Seattle is not among the 10 cities being targeted in the raids.
Deb Bartley, a friend of Van Spronsen’s for about 20 years, described him as an anarchist and anti-fascist, and she believes his attack on the detention center was intended to provoke a fatal conflict.
“He was ready to end it,” Bartley said. “I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs … I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.”
She and other friends of Van Spronsen got letters in the mail “just saying goodbye.” He also wrote what she referred to as a manifesto, which she declined to discuss in detail but predicted would be taken by authorities.
Maru Mora-Villalpando, an activist with the group La Resistencia, which has frequently protested the conditions at the detention center and broader immigration policy, said she did not know Van Spronsen. Nor was La Resistencia involved with the June 2018 protest at which he was arrested, she said.
However, the group believes, based on information provided to them, that Van Spronsen was targeting the detention center’s parking lot, which includes a fleet of buses that transports immigrants to the Yakima airport, where they are deported.
ABC News also had the following to say:
A man armed with a rifle, flares and "incendiary devices" at an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Washington state was fatally shot by police early Saturday, authorities said.
The man, later identified as 69-year-old Willem Van Spronsen, was allegedly throwing lit objects at buildings at Tacoma's North West Detention Center on Saturday when he was shot following a confrontation with responding officers, Tacoma Police Department officials said in a statement released on Saturday.
A worker first reported that a man outside the facility was armed with a rifle around 4 a.m., Tacoma police said.
"It was reported the male was throwing incendiary devices at the Detention Center and then at vehicles in the parking lot," the statement said. "A vehicle was set on fire. The male attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set out buildings on fire. The male continued throwing lit objects at the buildings and cars."
A rifle was recovered at the scene, police said.
Upon arriving on the scene and locating the man, "officers called out shots were fired," according to the Tacoma Police statement. "Officers noted that in addition to the weapon, he was wearing a satchel and had flares on his person."
NBC4 added:
A man armed with a rifle threw incendiary devices at an immigration jail in Washington state early Saturday morning, then was found dead after four police officers arrived and opened fire, authorities said.
The Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded at about 4 a.m. to the privately run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings. The detention center has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, an effort meant to deter illegal immigration.
The shooting took place about six hours after a peaceful rally in front of the detention center, police spokesman Loretta Cool said. She said another rally was planned for later Saturday, but it would have to be held in a different area because of the investigation into the police shooting.
Police said the man caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire. Police said that besides the rifle, he had a satchel and flares.
Police said officers called out to the man, and shots were fired.
The SF Gate additionally commented:
An armed man was fatally shot Saturday after throwing what authorities called "incendiary devices" at an detention center in Washington state and trying to set a commercial-size propane tank on fire, according to Tacoma police.
At about 4 a.m., 69-year-old Willem Van Spronsen threw "lit objects" at buildings and at cars in a parking lot, police said, causing a vehicle to go up in flames. Court records show the man was arrested last year at a protest at the privately owned detention center, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement called the man an "anti-immigration enforcement protester."
The man, a Vashon Island resident, died at the scene after shots were fired, police said.
"This could have resulted in the mass murder of staff and detainees housed at the facility had he been successful at setting the tank ablaze," Shawn Fallah, who heads the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, said in a statement. "These are the kinds of incidents that keep you up at night."
No ICE employees or detainees were hurt, agency spokeswoman Tanya Roman told The Washington Post. The detention center canceled visitations for the day but did not go into lockdown, Roman said.
The facility returned to its full operations Sunday.
The attack came as thousands protested at ICE facilities nationwide ahead of the agency's planned mass arrests of undocumented immigrants on Sunday. The Trump administration has said it will target about 2,000 families for deportation, focusing on as many as 10 cities.
Here's a video on the violent attack, as well:
The act of violence is causing concern among Americans of the effects that liberal "twists" on the truth is having on citizens.
Some, like these people on Twitter, are blaming the false narrative of things like "concentration camps at the border" for pushing the ICE bomber to act out and fearing another similar incident:
Jack Posobiec pointed out that just a few months ago CNN glorified a Tacoma Antifa group:
Could stories like this have encouraged Van Spronsen's attack?
Timcast on Youtube made a great video on the violent act and speculation on its cause, which you can watch here:
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!