A man was taken into custody Monday evening after making bomb threats to security personnel outside a Dallas immigration and customs enforcement facility.
Bratton-Dean Wilkinson, 36, arrived at the entrance of the Dallas ICE Field office at 6:37 PM and informed security that there was a bomb in his backpack, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
He also displayed what he claimed was a “detonator” attached to his wrist.
Following the threat, an evacuation order was issued at the facility, prompting a response from local police and a bomb squad.
The situation was resolved about 30 minutes later, according to officials.
Wilkinson, a U.S. citizen, was apprehended by local police and now faces charges related to making a terrorist threat.
In an image from the incident, Wilkinson can be seen with a beard, dressed in a white button-up shirt, skinny jeans, and a vest, while being cuffed by an officer.
The ICE office has experienced multiple threats and attacks in recent months.
This unsettling event in Texas came just weeks after five envelopes containing suspicious white powder were found at a New York ICE site in Manhattan.
Law enforcement later determined that the substance was boric acid.
Additionally, recent reports indicated that a mob had ambushed ICE agents in San Francisco, with one individual making threats to “stab” a federal officer in an attempt to “help” his family, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.
A senior DHS official commented, stating, “These cases follow months of accusations and rhetoric from the media likening activists, politicians, and ICE law enforcement to the Nazi Gestapo.” The official emphasized that such discourse fosters a culture of hatred toward law enforcement, noting a staggering 1,000% increase in assaults against them, and urged all parties to temper their rhetoric.
