Free Republic

Joseph Mahmoud Dibee, 50, was arrested by the FBI and booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center at 4:53 p.m. Thursday. He's been wanted for 12 years, after he was indicted in 2006 on charges of arson, conspiracy and animal enterprise terrorism. In 2008, he was believed to have been living in Syria with family members, and federal officials announced a $50,000 reward for his arrest. (FBI) A fugitive sought for more than a decade and accused of taking part in a string of eco-sabotage attacks across the West is in custody in Portland and was to make his...

U.S. Attorney Billy Williams said Friday he wants an investigation into actions of federal officers who have pulled Portland protesters off the street and into unmarked vehicles. Federal officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection have come under significant scrutiny after OPB first reported Thursday that they were involved in constitutionally questionable arrests in Portland. The officers, along with employees of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Protective Service, have had an increased presence in the city as protests over police brutality have continued for more than six weeks. "Based on news accounts circulating that allege federal law enforcement...

 PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Portland man has been arrested for his role in an overnight attack on the Hatfield Federal Courthouse.“The lawless and violent acts of extremists across the political spectrum cannot continue. Violence directed at federal, state, and local law enforcement and property destruction is inconsistent with the aims of social justice,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “These are criminal acts and individuals who engage in them will be held accountable.”Rowan M. Olsen, 19, aka Kiefer Alan Moore, was arrested by Federal Protective Service officers in the early morning hours of July 3,...

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that seven people have been arrested and face federal charges for their roles in weekend riots at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland.According to court documents, since May 26, 2020, protests in downtown Portland have regularly been followed by nightly criminal activity including assaults on law enforcement officers, destruction of property, looting, arson, and vandalism.Rowan Olsen, 19, of Portland, is charged with disorderly conduct, creating a hazard on federal property, and failing to obey a lawful order; Shant Singh Ahuja, 28, of Oceanside, California, is charged with destruction of...

PORTLAND, Ore.—In separate criminal cases, three men, Mitch Bryan Schoonover, 37, of Portland; Isaiah Holt, 32, also of Portland; and Jay Rodney Ferdig, 44, of Salem, Oregon; were sentenced this week to federal prison for illegally possessing firearms as convicted felons, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.“The goal of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program is to reduce violent crime and victimization across Oregon,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “A key pillar of our strategy is to reduce illegal gun ownership. With the assistance of our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, we have made significant progress toward this...

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that a Texas man has been charged with assaulting a U.S. Marshals Service deputy with a construction hammer during weekend protests at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland.Jacob Michael Gaines, 23, a Texas man currently residing in a recreational vehicle in Portland, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of assaulting a federal officer.According to court documents, at approximately 1:00am on July 11, 2020, Gaines was observed using a hammer to damage a barricaded entrance at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse. At the time, federal law enforcement...