Minnesota Tough Guy and 'Antifa General' Who Openly Called For Federal Agents To Be Murdered Has Been Arrested, Faces 10 Year In Prison

A self-described Minnesota “Antifa general” was arrested Thursday after federal prosecutors say he openly called for violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, according to the Justice Department.

Authorities allege that Kyle Wagner, 37, used Facebook and Instagram last month to threaten federal immigration officers and encourage followers to attack them. In a series of posts and videos, Wagner reportedly referred to ICE agents as the “gestapo” and “murderers,” while urging others to physically confront them.

Wagner was taken into custody in Minneapolis by Homeland Security Investigations agents and is expected to make his first appearance in federal court Thursday. Photos from the arrest show him being escorted out of a residential building wearing a sweatshirt that read “I’m Antifa,” a reference to the loosely organized left wing activist movement.

According to prosecutors, Wagner posted a now deleted video on January 8 in which he warned ICE agents, saying “we’re coming for you.” The following day, he allegedly escalated his rhetoric, encouraging harassment of federal officers and saying they should be crippled.

“Anywhere we have an opportunity to get our hands on them, we need to put our hands on them,” Wagner allegedly said in one video cited by the Justice Department.

Prosecutors also say Wagner urged supporters to “hunt” immigration officers and claimed his goal was to expose their identities. In another post dated January 13, Wagner allegedly declared that Minnesota was “where ICE has come to die.”

“We want to know who they are,” Wagner reportedly said. “We will identify every single one of them and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. If it has to be done at the barrel of a gun, then let us have a little fun.”

Wagner’s social media accounts appeared to be deleted by Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether he has retained legal counsel.

Federal officials have repeatedly warned that escalating rhetoric targeting law enforcement can lead to real world violence, particularly as immigration enforcement continues to draw protests and backlash across the country.