Texas DPS makes arrest after warning state lawmakers of “credible threats” tied to Capitol protest

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The Texas Department of Public Safety says it has arrested one person in connection to the “credible threats” made to state lawmakers planning to attend an anti-Trump rally at the Capitol in Austin, hours after two Democratic Minnesota legislators and their spouses were shot early Saturday morning.

“A short time ago, a Trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) took one person into custody in connection with the threats made against state lawmakers who planned to attend today’s protest at the Texas State Capitol Complex,” DPS spokesperson Ericka Miller said in a statement.

DPS says there is no additional active threat.

The person was arrested after a traffic stop in La Grange. DPS confirmed a report from The Texan that the arrested man held far-left political views and was heading to the Capitol with the intent to harm individuals with opposing beliefs.

Earlier Saturday, DPS had warned state lawmakers and legislative staffers of “credible threats” to legislators planning to attend the Austin “No Kings” protest.

That DPS alert was sent out just before 1 p.m., according to screenshots of emails obtained by The Texas Tribune, and a DPS spokesperson told the Tribune the Capitol was evacuated shortly after. The warning came hours before several Texas federal, state and city elected officials spoke at a protest against President Donald Trump in downtown Austin.

In a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott and DPS Director Freeman Martin around the start of the protest, Texas House Democratic Leader Gene Wu and 43 other members of the Democratic caucus requested updates on what steps DPS is taking to protect lawmakers and other elected officials. The caucus also said the shooting against the Minnesota lawmakers was “the direct result of years of inflammatory rhetoric, threats, and dehumanization that have turned political disagreements into insurgent violence.”

“The rhetoric that has poisoned our national political discourse — calling political opponents ‘enemies of the people,’ describing immigrants as ‘invaders,’ and urging followers to ‘Fight, fight, fight,’ — has now also claimed the lives of dedicated public servants,” they continued. “For years, and just like the shooting in El Paso, violent rhetoric has stoked the flames of division and resulted in tragedy.”

Before DPS confirmed the arrest, Jeffrey Clemmons, communications director for state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, told the Tribune that DPS arrested someone “who was going to agitate the protest.”

Eckhardt was among the officials scheduled to speak at the Capitol protest. Other elected officials who spoke at the event include Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett and Democratic state Rep. John Bucy III.

Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri, who was also at the Capitol protest, expressed gratitude to law enforcement over the arrest.

“Everyone — lawmakers and attendees alike — deserves to gather and protest without fear,” Qadri said in a written statement to the Tribune. “It’s important to condemn the winds of hate that give rise to political violence that has been threatened in Austin today, and tragically witnessed in Minnesota this morning.”

In a social media post before the arrest was announced, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, condemned the Minnesota attacks and urged people to take appropriate precautions. Death threats are a part of serving in public life today, he continued.

“There’s a difference between free speech complaints, which we welcome, and making death threats. The latter can be a crime,” Patrick wrote. “What happened today in Minnesota was an absolute criminal act and a tragic loss of life.”

Protests, marches and rallies condemning the Trump administration are taking place across Texas and the country Saturday. The events are in response to a range of his policies, including his immigration enforcement tactics, and what many critics consider his authoritarian actions. The demonstrations coincide with the Trump administration’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C., which falls on the president’s birthday and the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.

Texas organizers of some of the “No Kings” and “Kick Out The Clowns” demonstrations stressed the protests would be nonviolent. That rhetoric continued through the protest, with Doggett claiming during his speech that anyone who committed vandalism or violence were helping Trump.

“Whatever their motivations, they're the ones Trump is counting on, they're the best allies that he's got,” Doggett said during his speech at the Capitol steps on Friday.

After the “No Kings” scheduled protest ended at 8 p.m., gatherers poured out of the Capitol grounds and into the streets of downtown Austin, oftentimes redirected by police blockades. While a few odd protesters knocked over construction signs, the protest ended largely without incident.

Earlier Saturday morning, a man dressed as a police officer in Minnesota shot two two state legislators and their respective spouses at their homes, according to the Associated Press. Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were killed in one of the shootings, according to Governor Tim Walz’ office. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot multiple times in their home.

In a separate email also sent to state lawmakers and Capitol staff, Texas House Administration Chair Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, said officials are taking “all necessary precautions.”

“I am in communication with our federal partners, and currently, it seems to be an isolated incident,” Geren said in the statement. “However, we’re always concerned about copycats and those who this attack might inspire.”

Even with the threats looming, the protest in Austin was largely jovial. Ice cream carts and trucks lined the edges of Capitol grounds as families set up towels on the grass or huddled at the Capitol steps around speakers. But through a dove release, coordinated dances and organizers adorned in clown costumes, speakers’ messages were still stern and pointed at Trump.

“We gather day beneath the sun, under no crown, before no throne, because this is a republic, not a kingdom,” Bucy said during his speech to protesters. “We stand here today because that idea is under siege because one man, one disgrace, twice impeached, four-time indicted man has clawed his way back to power.”

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